Shabbat Shalom!
Shabbat Shalom!
- This activity may help to prepare both sides for spending a Shabbat together. It allows participants to see how people feel differently about Shabbat You can also use this as an opportunity to psyche participants up for a Shabbat of home hospitality. Encourage them to be open-minded about their experiences, to learn from each other, and to enjoy.
- Important: Diasporaniks and Israelis are seated separately so their responses can be more easily compared.
Materials: Open Sentences
How Long: 20 minutes
Group Size: mixed subgroups of 15-18
Staffing: 1 facilitator for each small group
Procedure:
Done as full group
1. As a brief warm-up the group first does a “Shabbat Wave" Moving around the circle, ask each person to say the first thing s/he thinks of when you say the word "Shabbat." As each person speaks s/he stands and then sits, creating a "Wave" effect around the circle.
Done in small mixed groups
2. Arrange participants in mixed (Diaspora-Israeli) groups of 15 -18 participants. Israelis sit on one side of a circle, and Diasporaniks on the other.
3. The leader then reads aloud the first open sentence about Shabbat to the group. First the Diasporaniks each briefly complete the sentence in turn, and then the Israelis. This is repeated for each of the open sentences that follow. [Note: Leader makes note of different types of statements and refers to them during summary discussion.]
OPEN SENTENCES.:. Special things that my family and I do on Shabbat are .. .:. On Shabbat, Jews in Israel. .. .:. Other people in my town/city/neighborhood usually (do) ...when it's Shabbat. .:. On Shabbat I would like to ..., but I can't because it's Shabbat. (Note: Unless visitors are Sabbath observing, they will probably say that they do anything they wish on Shabbat. Israelis, on the other hand, may mention places and services that are closed by law on Shabbat in Israel.] |
4. Discuss (Leader should relate to some of the statements slbe noted during the Open Sentences):
Wrapping Up: Done as individuals
5. Give each participant a copy of the statement below and instruct him/her to write a "bracha" for the mifgash over Shabbat.
6. Ask the participants share their "brachot" with the rest of the members of their subgroup.
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