S2 Judaism Festival Investigation

Pupils investigate one of three Jewish Festivals – either Sukkot, Hanukkah, or Purim.

Resources available will include text books, videos, and some time accessing the Internet.

You will work on your chosen topic over three periods, at the end of which you will complete your presentation at home.

Checklist: -

The Report should include the following:-

Ø      The name of the Festival and the Celebration (if different)  [English and Jewish names if different].

Ø      The approximate time of year when the festival is celebrated.

Ø      The historical events that the festival remembers, or commemorates.

Ø      The way in which the modern Jew celebrates the festival

o        At home – parties, meals, children’s games, special meals or foods, giving presents, etc.

o        In the Synagogue, or at home, or school  -  services, special prayers or songs, plays, etc.

o        The meaning, or significance, of the festival for the modern Jew.

Ø      A Bibliography of the books you have used, and also the Websites you have visited.

Presentation of the Report :-

You can present your report in the form of a newspaper, or an information leaflet, or as an essay; but please use illustrations if you can. 

Your report may be word-processed if you have access to a computer at home, but must be in your own words.  A download of a Website is not acceptable  -  use the Internet for research purposes. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: -

-   Be aware of the great variety of spellings used:-  e.g.  Hanukkah may also appear as Hanukah, Hanukkah, Chanukah, etc.     and Sukkot as Sukkoth, Succot, Succoth, etc.

Please also see the RME Section of the School Website for specific advice on using the Internet for RME work.

Suggested Websites  -  [some of these may not accessible through the school computer system]

http://www.everythingjewish.com  - A useful site that gives full details of the three festivals suggested. Each topic is subdivided into manageable sections.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions   -  The BBC site which gives a good summary of many aspects of the main religions.

http://www.jewfaq.org  - Another useful site with a vast amount of information.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org  - some useful material but very detailed.

http://www.ou.org  -  A site which reflects an orthodox standpoint.  It contains some very good detail, but may be a bit complex for some pupils.  

http://www.hanukah.com  -  This site has a good comparison of Hanukkah celebrations, ancient and modern.  Do not be too distracted by your first impression!

http://www.holidays.net     -   An American site which covers all kinds of religious and secular holidays.   Very colourful, and perhaps more useful with younger pupils.

 http://google.com  -  A useful search engine

http://ask.co.uk    -  A pupil friendly search engine which permits searching by typing in questions

Also useful for all R.M.E. work is http://www.reonline.org.uk