Approaching Conflicts
Contexts, Perspectives, and Values in Israel Education

Educational Resources

This news story by Yoav Zitun, appeared in Ynet News on July 23, 2014. It describes the funeral of Max Steinberg, a lone soldier from California who was killed in Operation Protective Edge in July 2014. Some 30,000 people paid their respects by attending his funeral on Mt. Herzl despite fears that no one would attend. His parents, who flew in from California for the funeral, were overwhelmed when they saw the throngs of people. It was his parents first visit to Israel, and they expressed appreciation for the outpouring of love and respect the Israeli public showed for Max.
This article, written by Mitch Ginsberg and published in The Times of Israel on May 5th 2014, provides "a look at how the national military cemetery was founded, how it has changed, and how its staff strives daily to ease the unending pain of the bereaved." Ginsberg offers insight into some of the people we are not likely to think about when visiting Har Herzl, including the landscape architects and gardeners, whose special attention to the layout and aesthetics of the national cemetery is worth considering. 
On June 12, 2014, Palestinian terrorists kidnapped three teenage boys (Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaer, and Eyal Yifra), who were hitchhiking outside Alon Shvut, a West Bank settlement not far from Jerusalem. One of the boys called a police emergency hotline and reported that they had been kidnapped – a call that was later leaked to the Israeli public.
This worksheet provides questions to guide learners through the Karet/Kashua exchange of letters. Ask your students to review them before they begin to read, and then take notes on their own reactions—surprise, humor, anger, etc. After reading, instruct students to write brief answers (3-4 sentences) to each of the questions.
This worksheet provides questions to guide learners through Sayed Kashua's article, "Why I Have to Leave Israel." Ask your students to review them before they begin to read, and then take notes on what they find upsetting, aggravating, surprising, or insightful. After reading, instruct students to write brief answers (3-4 sentences) to each of the questions. 
This exchange of letters between Etgar Keret and Sayed Kashua is the first in a two-part series. It appeared on October 13th, 2014 in the New Yorker magazine. Kashua explains his decision to leave Israel to his friend, and Keret responds. They speak about despair, coexistence, and the role of narrative, but not only in regards to the conflict. The letters also talk about the details of everyday life – from cucumbers to pizza toppings and the wonders of outlet malls. They are normal letters in a not-normal context.
On July 19, 2014, Kashua published this piece in London's The Guardian entitled “Why I Have to Leave Israel.” While he had been planning to leave Israel for a one year sabbatical at the University of Illinois, in his op ed, Kashua explains why he was now committing to a permanent move. Kashua’s announcement caused shockwaves and received extensive publicity both in Israel and abroad, especially because of his commitment to Jewish-Arab coexistence.   
This article by Tzvi Hauer appeared in Azure Magazine in the Spring of 1997. Tzvi Hauser is an attorney, and an instructor in the Command Ethics Division of the IDF’s Leadership Development Institute.
This article, by Amos N. Guiora, appeared in the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs' Jewish Political Studies Review in the Spring of 2006. Amos N. Guiora is an Israeli-American professor of law at The S. J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah.
This article by Ryan Jones appeared in Israel Today on July 24, 2014.