What is a Lunch and Learn?
Every Thursday, students are invited to attend a Lunch and Learn to explore topics related to the Israel-Hamas war. 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. Lunch and Learns regularly feature guest speakers, too. Past topics have included exploring definitions of anti-Semitism, delving into international law with scholars from the Shalom Hartman Institute, and hearing from survivors of the Nova attacks and Palestinian peace activists.
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.” 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. The following week, 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.
We hosted part two of our Days of Learning where students were able to choose from several sessions during Flex Block, with an optional Lunch and Learn.
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