Share knowledge about Jewish life today
Report/Standard Article
This lesson package aims to increase knowledge about Jewish life today by allowing young people at school to meet/talk to/email young people with Jewish affiliation and ask curious and at the same time respectful questions and then create articles. By participating with their work in the Young Voices for Tolerance campaign, they can contribute to a more nuanced picture of what it is like to be a Jew in Sweden today.
According to the report Skolgårdsrasism,
One of the report’s conclusions concerns the perceived insecurity of Jewish youth:
“Virtually all students interviewed in Malmö have experienced verbal or physical attacks of some kind at some point, but how common and how serious it is varies.”
The report also highlights the problem of the absence of images and stories about the lives of Jews today in the school’s teaching.
“By strengthening the ability of young Jews to positively identify with their Jewish culture and affiliation, the effects of anti-Semitism are also diminished. However, such work is positive regardless of the existence of anti-Semitism.”
According to Hanna Halpern, Secretary General of the Jewish Assembly in Stockholm, there is widespread anti-Semitism affecting Jewish children and young people in Stockholm as well. Therefore, the capital will follow Malmö’s example to deepen knowledge about how common anti-Semitism is and how it manifests itself in preschools, schools and adult education in Stockholm.
For the interview in this lesson, students will find out as much as possible about Jewish tradition and religion, food and history and, based on this research, develop thoughtful questions. They can also, in consultation with their interviewee, choose to focus on the topic or topics that feel urgent and comfortable to talk about.
A clear angle is important to arouse the interest of the recipient. Therefore, we have chosen to add in this lesson package an exercise called “Find the Angle”. Students should have the interviewee read through/listen/look through the produced article/video/podcast before any publication.
Suggestions for interviewees can be found in the module below, “From idea to finished article” and in the resource bank for Young Voices for Tolerance.
Please use the template for news article/standard article. Some students may want to invite an interviewee to a podcast call, in which case the article type “podcast” is used. The podcast should preferably not last longer than 15 minutes. You can also write the articles in English or other languages.
The articles can be published and included in the Young Voices for Tolerance campaign and spread on social media with the hashtag #YoungVoicesforTolerance
Tip: Feel free to use the module “Background” next door to ensure that students have basic knowledge of the Holocaust and Anti-Semitism.
- Sources and credibility
- Source criticism and trust of sources
- Lateral fact checking
- Digital self-test
- MIL challenge
Discussion exercise: Who/what can be a credible source? Let students make suggestions. Write up on the board or in a common document.
example:
- Expert. If your source is an expert you have spoken to, such as a researcher, it should be clear what makes that particular person credible. The expert should have a special knowledge of exactly what they are speaking out about.
- The case. The case is an interviewee who is in some way affected by what you are writing about. It can be someone who has experienced an injustice or someone who has done something good and who can inspire others.
- Witness. A witness is someone who can corroborate what you’re writing about. Ideally, you should collect more than one witness statement indicating that the incident you mention in your article has taken place.
- Image. An image, still image, or moving image, showing a something happening can also be a source. Keep in mind that images may have been manipulated and are not always true.
- Document. A document can be, for example, a written letter or email, notes from a meeting or a decision from an authority or from the government.
- you. Of course, you become a source when you post something online.
Tip: Let students read the article “Responsible publisher: How journalists work with source criticism” that can be found under “Content” in mobile stories tools.
“Sources and credibility” is a model for creating structure in source auditing. When students search for information online, the classic criteria Authenticity, Time, Dependency, and Tendency should be used, in combination with checking what other sources say about the first source.
Give some suggestions for sources related to the topic, both good and some less good. Invite students to use the model below in groups to reflect on the relevance and credibility of the source in the context in which the source will be used. Then review what the students have come up with. Note, students don’t have to put a negative if they can’t find anything.
Here the template can be downloaded:
Feel free to have students read the help article “Source Criticism Methods” in mobile stories tool login mode: https://app.mobilestories.se/content/info_article_x_16812
This is a guide for those who want to source-check like a pro. This poster was produced by Therese Personne at Nya Elementar with the aim of helping schools value digital sources. Print a copy and set up in the classroom! The poster is available to download here:
Here students can take a digital self-test developed by Uppsala University in collaboration with the research institute Rise and the association Science & Public.
In this exmament, students in high school or high school can sharpen their knowledge of media, source criticism and online laws!
Students can take the test up to 15 times. By explaining after each question, students can improve their performance and become more online smart every time they take the test! If they get 90 percent of the questions right, you can download a piece of evidence that they can put in their resume or share on social media.
Backgroud
We all need to understand history in order to be able to see, reflect on and resist the racism and intolerance that exists in society. The Holocaust has happened once and can happen again, says Peter Kadar (1935–2020) in a video clip from EDUT:
“Thevaccination against this is that young people tell and that they do not let any form of anti-Semitism, racism or intolerance pass by.”
At the Forum for Living History there are modules What was the Holocaust? and Anti-Semitism then and now and Antiziganism in history and today that can form the basis for further work. At the Living History Forum you will also find recorded testimonials from survivors, with associated classroom exercises. You can also find testimonials at the narrator group EDUT and at Eternal Echoes. If your school wants visits, digitally or physically, from survivors, their children or grandchildren, you can register your interest via, for example, EDUT or Zikaron. In the “Resource Bank for Young Voices for Tolerance” you will find, among other things, a list of people available for student interviews.
Discussion questions:
1. What do we know about what it’s like to live with a Jewish identity?
2. What do we know about Jewish tradition and religion?
Curriculum and Agenda 2030
UN Global Goals: 16 PEACEFUL AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIESSupport for Teachers: Difficult Issues in the Classroom | Forum for Living History
Elevpublicistens etiska regler
If you haven't done so before, read "Student Publisher's Ethical Rules" in the mobile stories tool (in logged-in mode). Please also discuss what the various points mean. Put simply, they are about:
- Be careful with their sources and never publish inaccuracies or contribute to the spread of rumors online.
- Never violate anyone's copyright or the terms of use of free images downloaded from the web (preferably use your own images or illustrations!)
- Avoid hurting or offending an individual or group in society.
From idea to finished article
This guide with exercises aims to understand more about what it's like to live within the Jewish minority today. The task includes finding interesting interviewees who can help nuance the image of Jewish culture. Students are then allowed to conduct interviews with the people, produce articles and then spread knowledge to more people.
Anyone who understands what it means to sift and angle both in image, video, audio and text also gets an understanding that other information also consists of a selection that someone has made for a certain purpose.
Discuss this together with the students: What is an angle? Look in newspapers. What do headlines and pictures look like? How do they interact? What attracts reading? What makes you as a consumer want to read more?
Have students interview each other in pairs, five minutes/interview: During the interviews, students should find something exciting, surprising or unusual about each other. It can be anything from interests, family, history, feelings or pets to talent or opinions. Then it's a matter of coming up with an enticing headline, describing what a picture of the person would look like and maybe even writing a short preamble based on the interview. The goal is to make the others want to know more and talk to the person behind the headline already on the next break. The important thing in the exercise is to ask good questions, pick out the most interesting and highlight this. Once everyone has done their interviews and found good headlines, the results can be shared with the others in the class.
Important! Students should be given the chance to approve the title about themselves before it is possibly read to the others.
Use the material "Background" in the pink tab above to give students the opportunity to read up on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. Students can then use some of the links below to do research and choose to focus on and immerse themselves in a specific area. After that, students can search for more good sources online or at the library. Find
The Instagram account Proud Jew is run by the Jewish Youth League. Let students reflect on: Why do students think the Jewish Youth League runs the account?
Here students find facts about Judaism from the Jewish Community in Stockholm. Here you will find information about Jewish holidays (JFST). Here are the most common questions about Judaism and also the answers from the Jewish Community in Malmö.
The program from UR Play, My Jewish History features 14-year-old Rebecka who is thinking about her Jewish background and how her family ended up in Sweden.
The Forum for Living History has mapped anti-Semitic attitudes among the population of Sweden. The survey was answered by more than 3,500 people and shows that racist attitudes towards Jews have decreased since 2005. Mira Kelber, Jew and president of Jewish Youth in Malmö thinks she has noticed that more Jews dare to testify about their experiences.
About Jewish identity, Forum for Living History.
Clips from Holocaust Remembrance Day, 2021 from the Jewish Community in Stockholm.
A seminar from Almedalen on antisemitism and the Jewish minority in Sweden.
People who can be contacted for interview can also be found in the resource bank.
- Keep track of your phone's recording function. Try it before. Make sure the interviewee knows you're recording.
- Make sure your phone is charged – bring a charger as a precaution.
- Make sure that the query battery is available to start from (but don't forget the follow-up questions!).
- Make sure you have some prior knowledge of the person and subject through your research.
Practical tips for students during the interview: https://mobilestories.se/så-lyckas-du-med-intervjun
- Feel free to use the recording function on your mobile phone to record the interview. Feel free to use two phones to secure, or record the meeting on your computer if the meeting is done via link.
- Don't forget follow-up questions. To do a good interview, you need to go further and deeper into each topic. Let your own curiosity rule!
- Choose a quiet recording location, if the sound is to be used in, for example, a podcast, the room should be without echo. Pillows and textiles dampen.
Tips for students when shooting:
- Think about who's going to see the picture. What do you want the viewer to feel?
- Vary tight portraits and images from a distance, preferably in an environment that is natural for the interviewee or has other connection to the subject.
- Take many pictures from several angles! It often takes time and confidence to relax your "photo item".
- Think norm critically, how can you break prejudice through the image?
- Let the photographed person see the pictures. If the person is satisfied, they are more likely to spread your work.
- In the vast majority of article types on Mobile Stories, landscape formats are best, i.e. images taken horizontally as in the example below.
Horizontal image of Hedi Fried. Photo: Lotta Bergseth
Advise students about resursbanken for suggestions for interviewees or let the students contact people they find themselves. Perhaps there are articles from the media to read about the people they have previously participated in? Search online for associations or congregations in the local area or contact congregations in other countries.
Students can use this template when contacting the people.
Hi, my name is __________ and I go to school ___________ We do a job on ____________ and if you would like to know about this? We think it’s important to spread knowledge about ___________och spread your experiences with ____________ further. We are therefore working on an educational publishing tool that aims to produce and publish elaborate articles on an open platform, Mobile Stories. You will of course have to read your quotes before publishing and change if something is wrong. We could use a nice picture, too. If we meet, we would like to photograph ourselves, if you prefer to be seen digitally or over the phone, we would be happy if you have one or more images that we can use.
Feel free to contact us with suggestions for times when you could conduct the interview.
Thank you in advance. Sincerely _____________
Contact details ______________________
Students can also get support in the interview with DN journalist Björn af Kleen: How to get the interviewees to volunteer(requires login in Mobile Story’s publishing tool).
Time to process the image and text material in Mobile Stories. Show students the help texts in the tool, both the instrumental ones under the small question marks and those under the (i) characters, or under "Content" in the main menu. Embed any sounds or movie clips according to the instructions. Ask students to put extra care into the title and preamble as well as the choice of image. Ideally, students should take their own pictures – or illustrate. If this is not possible, ask the interviewee to send pictures that are approved for use. Follow the process in the peer review tool, check queries, and editor approval. Check with the student publicist's ethical rules. Students can publish on one or more of the sites on the Mobile Stories network and preferably on Young Voices for Tolerance. Tell students that the articles can be nominated for the Young Journalism Prize, by publishing them on the Young Journalism Prize page that all Mobile Stories schools have access to.
Tip: Let students see the help texts under "Content" in the main menu of the Mobile Stories publishing tool:
Tips from the digital editor: How to find an enticing headline
What you need to know about pictures
Tips from the photographer: How to capture the news image
Reflection:
Suggestions for reflection questions:
- “How has your understanding of Jews and Jewish identity in Sweden evolved?”
- Who else might have learned anything?
- What can we do when we see an uncanny and stereotypical image of Judaism or other minorities in society? Try to list different ways to react in different contexts.
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“What new knowledge do you bring after working on the interview?”