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by Eli Sharabi
by Deborah Lakritz
by Alan Dershowitz
by Hadassa Ben Ari, illustrated by Tehila Bar-Hama
by Ammiel Hirsch
Adapted by Anna Olswanger from a story by Rabbi Rafael Grossman, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg
A comprehensive and easily digestible history of the Jewish people in a graphic novel format, for younger readers. Jewish history and the Jews’ connection to the Land of Israel are explored in 26 chapters covering biblical times on.
The Blue Butterfly of Cochin follows Leah, a young girl from the Jewish community of Cochin, India, as her family emigrates to Israel in the 1950s. Struggling with the loss of her home and traditions, Leah finds comfort in a magical blue butterfly. The story beautifully captures her emotional journey of adaptation and connection to her roots.
This book by author/photographer Rachel Raz (ABC Israel) showcases the many vibrant and beautiful colors of the land of Israel, from the red double-decker train in Akko to the white dome of the Shrine of the Book, from pink postage stamps to orange beach umbrellas in Tel Aviv.
In biblical times, Itamar, the tailor’s son, has carefully carried the High Priest’s robe―with its little golden bells sewn onto the hem―home for his father to mend. But one day, one of the bells is missing! When nobody turns in the lost bell at the Claiming Stone, Itamar wonders if the tiny bell will ever be found. A surprise ending brings the story into modern times when an archaeologist finds a golden bell at a Jerusalem dig.
The fascinating story of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the reinventor of modern day Hebrew and his son Ben-Zion, who was the first child in the early founding of the modern state of Israel to speak only Hebrew.
Twelve-year-old Israeli Motti and his friend Reuven are on a mission to root out a supposed German spy that is lurking in their neighborhood. Set in 1960s Israel, “The Lost Spy and the Green Dress” delves into the complexities of being raised by Holocaust parents in the modern State of Israel.
Ruth Mendenberg risks her life to help lead a group of children on a daring journey over half a continent and across the sea to the Land of Israel, using secret routes and forged documents — and sheer force of will.
Set in 1973, “Beni’s War” is the sequel to “The Six-Day Hero.” Twelve-year-old Beni must say goodbye to his older brother, Motti, who is now in the Israeli army.
A comic book short story set during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. It tells the true story of the author’s grandfather, Jacob Shorr, a teenager from Jerusalem who was wounded in the battle of Ramat Rachel.
Translated from its original Swedish, Journey to the Promised land follows Yemenite Shalom Mizrachi and his family as their Jewish village uproots itself in order to take the difficult journey to Aden where they will then take planes to fly them into Israel.
Puah Shteiner’s autobiographical book, Forever My Jerusalem, details the author’s memories of the fall and evacuation of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City in 1948.
Learn about Israeli Gal Gadot and her life story of being born and raised in Israel, becoming a beauty pageant winner, entering the military, and eventually becoming a successful actress. Gadot serves as a positive role model for readers, especially young girls.
A detailed account of the events leading up to the creation of a Jewish homeland and the true story behind President Harry S. Truman’s decision to recognize the State of Israel in 1948. Drawn from Truman’s long-lost diary entries and other previously unused archival materials, A Safe Haven follows Truman as he grappled with the pros and cons of recognizing Israel. This dramatic recounting of a key moment in postwar foreign relations is essential to a full understanding of Middle East politics.
Alex: Building a Life is a poignant collection of writings and drawings by Alex Singer, an American-born Jew who chose to serve as an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces. His life was tragically cut short by a terrorist in Southern Lebanon. The book, compiled by his parents, showcases Alex’s remarkable character through his letters, diaries, and art.
Twelve-year-old Wuditu is a member of the Beta-Israel tribe in Ethiopia, an ancient Jewish people that settled in Ethiopia many centuries ago. Cry of the Giraffe tells the incredible journey of a young Jewish girl as she perseveres through numerous obstacles in order to return to the Promised Land.
This historical novel about the founding of the modern State of Israel begins with a retelling of the 1947 voyages of a ship bringing Jewish refugees from the Holocaust to Mandatory Palestine, recounting the epic history of Israel’s birth through the eyes of two generations of Jews as they fight to reclaim their homeland. Originally published in 1958, Exodus became an international bestseller.
What would your life be like if military service was compulsory, not voluntary?Aggie is eighteen and getting ready to do her service for the Israeli Army. She could get a cushy assignment—maybe pushing paper somewhere—or she could just take her chances. But despite the obstacles in her way, Aggie is trying out for an elite combat unit.
Through bite-sized chunks of history and deeply personal stories, the author chronicles her homeland’s evolution, beginning in Biblical times and moving forward to cover everything from WWI to Israel’s creation to the disputes dividing the country today. Tackling popular misconceptions with an abundance of facts, Noa Tishby provides critical context around headline-generating controversies and offers a clear, intimate account of the richly cultured country of Israel.
Hebrew title: Machsomim
Directed by: Yoav Shamir
Produced by: Amit Breuer
Hebrew / Arabic / English; English subtitles
80 minutes
The film presents a one-sided depiction of the inconveniences to Palestinians caused by Israeli checkpoints.
Directed by Ronit Avni and Julia Bacha
Just Vision Films
Arabic, English, Hebrew
85 minutes
The documentary follows the stories of a South African-Israeli mother, a former settler, a former Palestinian protestor, an Israeli father, a Palestinian Christian father and a Palestinian ex-prisoner, all of whom are dealing with the loss of a loved one due to the conflict.
Distributed by Kino Lorber
Produced and Directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Hebrew/Arabic; English subtitles
90 minutes
This heavily edited, agenda-driven film purports to document the daily lives of the Palestinian film-maker and his fellow villagers and their activism against the Israeli security fence and settlements. 5 Broken Cameras is Palestinian film-maker Emad Burnat’s diary of his fellow villagers’ protest response to Israel’s security fence and to Jewish settlements on what he considers his land. Hailed as an artistic success, the film won an award at the prestigious Sundance Festival.
Directed by: Iman Zawahry
Produced by: Rifk Ebeid
English
~6 minutes
A frequent feature of anti-Israel activism is erasing the State of Israel from the map and replacing it with Palestine. One insidious example of this comes in the short video “I am from Palestine.”
Directed by Tim Wolochatiuk
Associated Producers
52 minutes, English
This moving documentary about the Israeli victims of the 2001 suicide bombing at the Sbarro pizerria follows terror victims in the years after the bombing, documenting both the immediate and the ripple effects of the violence on their subsequent lives.
Directed by: Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen
Produced by: Daniel J. Chalfen, Nadia Saah, and Erin Axelman
English, Arabic with English subtitles
124 minutes
Israelism is a lurid example of an increasingly popular genre of filmmaking that purports to be a documentary exposing human rights abuses but is really disguised political propaganda.
Directed by Mark Jonathan Harris
Narrated by Morgan Freeman
English, B&W, Color
120 min
At a time when Israel’s legitimacy is increasingly challenged and overt anti-Semitism again menaces Jews, the Academy Award winning documentary, “The Long Way Home,” provides a powerful reminder of the heroic effort to re-establish the Jewish homeland in the wake of the European Holocaust.
Written and Directed by Rona Segal;
Produced by Idit Klinger, Kobi Mizrahi;
Distributed by New York Times Op-Doc;
Hebrew, English with English subtitles;
22 minutes
The film purports to show reluctant soldier whistleblowers divulging tales of Israeli military and settler brutality but in fact it is just more slanderous propaganda from the anti-Israel activist group, Breaking the Silence.
Written, Directed, and Produced by Sufyan Omeish and Abdallah Omeish
Arabic, English with English subtitles
90 minutes
Occupation 101 falsely equates the Palestinian cause with civil rights struggles around the world, featuring well rehearsed indictments of the Jewish state by a who’s who of anti-Israel activists. It would have more aptly been titled Propaganda 101.
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Narrated by Michael Douglas
English, German, B&W, Color
94 min
While Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film, “Munich,” blurs the line between historical fiction and real events to tell the story of an Israeli hit team’s hunt for those involved in the 1972 Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes, this Academy Award-winning film focuses on the massacre itself through live film clips, news broadcasts and interviews with police, close relatives of victims, and the sole surviving perpetrator.
Produced, Written and Directed by BZ Goldberg, Justine Shapiro; English, Arabic, Hebrew with English subtitles;
106 minutes
See our filmed review of a dated documentary that is still being used as part of the curriculum in some American public middle schools. The film examines the Arab-Israeli conflict through the eyes of seven children living in the Jerusalem vicinity, from both sides of the conflict. While the protagonists are appealing, the take-away message of the film, based on misleading context and a lack of essential background information, is one-sided and politicized.
Directed by Michael Grynszpan
Produced by The David Project and IsraTV
49 minutes, English
The film explores the history and destruction of Middle Eastern Jewish communities, some of which had existed for over 2,500 years.Featuring testimony from Jews who fled Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco and Iran, the film explores the rich heritage and destruction of the Middle East’s age-old Jewish communities. Personal stories of refugees are interspersed with dramatic archival footage, including the mission to rescue Yemenite Jews.
Produced and Distributed by Yasmine Perni English 56 minutes
Yasmine Perni’s 2013 movie “The Stones Cry Out” allows influential and seasoned pro-Palestinian activists to present an emotionally charged, one-sided story of Palestinian Christians devoid of historical context and facts.
What do we know about the ancient Israelites? When did the ancient Israelites become the Jews? How did the emergence of other religions and the movement of peoples across the Middle East into the Land of Israel affect the Jewish people? How did Jews maintain their connection to the Land of Israel in the diaspora? How did World War I, World War II, and the Cold War impact the history of Israel? How did the modern state of Israel form? Why has there been ongoing conflict between Israel and the Arabs?
To answer these questions CEI offers educators a teacher-friendly curriculum tracing the history of the Jewish people in the land of Israel from ancient to modern times. This state social studies-aligned curriculum situates Jewish history in the larger context of Middle Eastern and World History. Students learn how geography and the development of religious, cultural, and political movements from ancient to modern times have created a complex society. Lesson plans utilize a wide- range of primary sources, maps, and videos.
The curriculum includes the following high school lessons:
The curriculum also includes the following elementary school activity: Understanding Timelines and Change Over Time.
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