4HQ Introductory Session

Preparations

Prior to the session print out the 4HQ postcard in Poster size.

Prepare different colored post-it notes.

1. The colored post-its of Israel

Hand out 3 post-it notes to each student. Three different colors. 

Ask each student to write on

Color #1 – One thing I love about Israel

Color #2 – One thing that frustrates me about Israel

Color #3 – One thing that makes me confused about Israel

Ask the students to write one thing on each post-it note.

Ask them to keep these post-its for later in the lesson.

Grand introduction

"So having given a little thought to your relationship to Israel, for the next few minutes, we're going to totally ignore Israel! Instead, I'm going to ask you about the world - without thinking about Israel at all. What is going on in our country, what is going on in the world? Apart from entertainment and sports, what other news or events or situations are you bothered about? What does it seem that most people are bothered about?"

Have pupils shout out stuff, and write it up on the board, taking care to place their shout-outs in the appropriate place - about security/safety? Top left. Peoplehood, collective identity, majority/minority? top right. And so on.

Be sure to clarify what is at the root of a comment. For example, were someone to shout out "Trump", you would need to follow up with questions so as to be specific and so as not to make political assumptions: What about Trump? His style, his policies, the media's treatment of him, Russia, etc? In this way you may draw out several different issues to write on the board, all connected to Trump.

Make sure you are writing the issues in the correct corners of the board. We recommend you practice this!

The Big Reveal part I

"It seems like we can roughly, very roughly, begin to recognise four different clusters of concern here."

Draw the dividing lines.

Explain and write in red the titles of the four quadrants:

1. Safety?
2. Who are we?
3. Freedom?
4. Territory?

For a group who might be able to answer, ask them how they think President Obama answered these questions, and how President Trump answers them.

The message: We agree about what we argue over. 

The Big Reveal part II

"What does this have to do with Israel? We see that we can roughly, very roughly, map four Hebrew words on to these four fundamental questions."

In blue, write up To Be? People? Free? In Our Land? 

Then add the Hebrew.

Explicate...

Powerpoint video

If you feel it is helpful or necessary, here is an explanatory video you could screen if you wanted.

3. Applying the notes to the framework

Hand out large print-outs of the 4HQ postcard. Poster-size.

One poster per group.

1. Every member of the group must place his/her post-it notes on the poster, in the appropriate position.
2. Once all notes are on the poster, everyone explains his post-it note, and why she placed it where she did.
3. Each member of the group is allowed to ask one question of someone else, about the placement of their post-it. In the ensuing discussion, participants may choose to move the post it note to a different position.

Conclusion

Either/or:

• Remember the Hatikvah National Anthem that we sing every day/week/Yom Ha’atzmaut? This is its penultimate line. This is what you are singing….
• Take a look at our country’s headlines/issues. We are also working to answer these same four questions in our country, too...