1. The swastika was used at least 5,000 years before Adolf Hitler designed the Nazi flag. True False
2. The swastika originally was derived from the Sanskrit word “svastika” in the Indian culture. True False
3. The swastika actually represents affluence, happiness, comfort, safety and even good luck. True False
4. The origin of the swastika can be traced to the Neolithic age. True False
5. The swastika represented the revolving sun, fire, and leisure in Persia. True False
6. In India, the swastika is used on wedding invitations and cards. True False
7. The swastika is a religious symbol for the Hindus. True False
8. Because the Nazis exploited the symbol, swastika is no longer considered a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Odinism. True False
9. The swastika was a symbol of “Aryan identity” and German nationalist pride. True False
10. A potent symbol intended to elicit pride among Aryans, the swastika also struck terror into Jews and others deemed enemies of Nazi Germany. True False
Myth #2 - Jews control the banks, media, Hollywood, and even the U.S. government; Jews have a secret plot to take over the world.
Where does it come from?
Anti-Semites use the "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" as proof that shows that Jews have a conspiracy to dominate the world political scene and media. This is a proven forgery. It was written by the Russian agents of the czar in the late 1900s. The claim is that these are the "minutes of a secret meeting of Jews that details plans of Jewish leaders to rule the world. The forgery spread throughout the 20th century" and continues to be part of the stereotyping of today's world.
The government of Syria produced a television mini-series on "The Protocols" in 2004. It told lies and even depicted "Jews killing a Christian boy for blood to make matzah for Passover."
In the United States, rights and freedoms have been extended to Jews. Many Jewish people have succeeded. For example, in the current Senate there are 13 Jewish Senators, but this has nothing to do with plots to take over the world.
This myth is also related to the misperception that Jews are different.
What are the facts?
It is always just easier to blame a group of people for bad things that happen than to understand the whole picture. Jews are usually the scapegoat. It happened in WWII and the rise of Hitler to power. White supremacist groups today thrive on conspiracy theories and blame other groups as well such as the African Americans, immigrants and even the government for everything that goes wrong.
Jews have played a major role in the movie industry, entertainment, and musical theater. If you watch the Academy Awards, you will see that Jews do not dominate the movie industry. Their are also only a few heads of Fortune 500 companies lead by Jews.
Knights killing Jews at the time of the First Crusade (1000's AD)http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/religion/jews/middleages.htm
Myth #1: Jews are cheap, greedy, and materialistic; Jews are good with money.
Where does this come from? The myth comes from the New Testament story of Jesus forcing the Jewish moneylenders out of the Temple. In the Middle Ages, some Jews became moneylenders - in part because they were forbidden to own land or join in craft guilds. The Church had forbidden Christians from practicing usury (moneylending at interest). Usury was considered a sin by the Church. Jews, however, were not subject to Christian law and the Church and State would appoint Jews as moneylenders and tax collectors. When Christians could not pay their debts, the Jewish moneylenders were blamed.
How can you debunk this myth?
In every group of people, there are those who are good with money and those who are not. There are those who are cheap and those who are not.
It is important to note that many Jews are not wealthy like in any group of people. A report from the 2001 National Jewish Population Study found that close to 1 million American Jews lived in low-income housing because their family of four earned $25,000 or less a year.
Jewish tradition also requires tzedakah which actually means "righteousness". It does not mean charity. Tzedakah is given because it is the right thing to do. According to Jewish law, giving tzedakah is a mitzvah. The word mtizvah is a commandment. So giving tzedakah is not just "doing a good deed" but it is required.
What a class. We had some new faces. Our first topic was the Sunday Dollar, Rabbi Schneerson and Maimonidies and the connection between the three. Then we moved right into Jewish rap music, read an article, studied the lyrics and then listened to the music. The Jewish two groups that we explored was Matisyahu and Brimstone 127. Then we compared that to Black Eyed Peas "Where is the Love?" Of course, students wanted to know if Justin Timberlake was Jewish. The answer is "no."
Our second hour was devoted to our Superhero exploration. Is Spiderman Jewish? Well, if you do a comparison study on Peter Parker vs. Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, the answer seems to come out on the side that Spiderman is definitely Jewish. Peter's middle name is acutally Benjamin. Peter and Tevye both have "roof top" experiences. Neither can hold a job down well. They both are so committed to their lifestyle that their families suffer the most. The both struggle with the "landlord" situations. Peter Parker looses his scooter at the worst possible time while Tevye's horse looses its shoe right before the Sabbath. We discovered so many similiarities between the two characters. You can read more about by clicking the Names and Faces link on this blog at the top.
We ended the class by playing "highs and lows." The kids all agreed that they were glad they came to Communiteen. That is always happy to hear. Then we finished up by playing "Po or Sham" which means "here or there" in Hebrew. They were given pictures of places and had to determine whether or not the places were in Israel or outside of Israel.
Next week we start with a speaker for the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) regarding the "The Pyramid of Hate." Then we start our series on Anti-Semitism. We will continue our Superhero study also. Thank you.
The first day of Communiteen was just right for the 8th graders. We introduced ourselves according to the poet Zelda: "One which his father and mother call him, And one which people call him, And one which he earns for himself." Then we played "Cross the Line." Some of the questions included: Do you agree or not agree that an Islamic Center should be built near the site of the Twin Towers where 911 occurred? Do you think reputation matters? Do you think that Jesus' last name is Christ?
Students learned that the word "Christ is not a last name but refers to "messiah." We learned that last names were not really part of the time period, but one was identified by the town they lived in or the name of their father or occupation.
We briefly discussed the the young college student who was bullying at Rutgers University and took his life. We talked about privacy and this led to the planned discussion of bullying and the Jewish view on bullying. After the break, we played "Have You Ever?" We had to say something like...."Have you ever celebrated Shabbat? Read a Jewish comic book? Been to Israel? Read the book Defiance? Had a bar, bat, or b'not mitzvah? Said the full kiddush? Had havdalah service? etc... It was a nice icebreaker and we got to learn what we have done an what we have in common or not.
We watched a video about Muslims in France and some of the public prayer that has been going on. The commentator emphasized how "France is conforming to Islam, instead of Islam conforming to France."
We also watched the short video of The Hebrew Mamita about Jewish pride and then practiced if someone says, "You're Jewish? You don't look Jewish." The point was to be able to diffuse such comments and that students don't meekly say, "yes" but stand up and not down.
Our last activity was a game called Kosher Not Kosher? and discovered which animals, insects and fish are truly kosher or not. Finally, we ended with Highs/Lows. Comments that were made are as follows: "My favorite was the Hebrew Mamita." "I liked having you as a teacher." "I'm glad Ben came to class, it was nice to see him again." "I liked the Kosher, not Kosher game." "My favorite was the Have You Ever Game?" Til next week!!!
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