What is a Lunch and Learn?

Every week, students are invited to attend a Lunch and Learn about the war in Israel and Gaza. These optional learning sessions explore a different relevant topic each week. They are centered around an essential question and often involve reading an article as a launching point for discussion.

Past Topics:
  • “How Jewish Summer Camps in the Bay Area are Responding to the War”
  • “Language Matters & Israel at the International Court of Justice” 
  • “Palestinian Restaurant to Host Free Shabbat Dinner in NYC: A Coexistence Case Study”
  • “Increasing Trend of US City Councils calling for an Israel-Gaza ceasefire.”

The Israel-Gaza: Days of Learning

The Lunch and Learn Program emerged from our Days of Learning which sought to “carve out some time from our regular classroom schedule to get our heads and hearts around what is happening in Israel and in Gaza right now, as well as reactions to it.” The program had two components:

  1. November 29 & 30, 2023: All core JS classes took 1-2 class days to teach about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, what happened on October 7th, the aftershocks, and responses. The goal was to create a shared base of knowledge on which future engagement could be built.
  2. December 5, 2023: Students chose from 20 different sessions offered by ProCom, Alumni, and community leaders, to gain a better understanding of the current conflict. Sessions included history lessons on topics like the events of 1948, and two-state solutions; discussions on topics including journalism, media literacy & disinformation, and why language matters; conversations with a Palestinian organizer for peace; and many more.

DAY OF LEARNING II: MARCH 12

On Tuesday, March 12, we will host part two of our Days of Learning. Students will be able to choose from a number of sessions during Flex Block, and there will be an optional Lunch and Learn. More details TBA.

Parent Events and Resources

In addition to the Days of Learning and the Lunch & Learns, we also held events for parents:

  • November 14, 2023: Parenting Teens in Stressful Times
    Presented by JCHS Counselor Julie Beck, LCSW. (Click here for the slide deck which includes resources parents might find helpful.
  • December 5, 2023: Israel at War: Navigating with Teens
    An event for parents and JCHS community members, which included a conversation with Rabbi Josh Ladon and Dr. Masua Sagiv, both from Shalom Hartman Institute
We have plans to continue the Lunch and Learns, expand on the Days of Learning, and hold more events for parents.