Sukkah Scuffles: Surprising Testimony from the 12th Century
The only mentions of a sukkah in the Cairo Genizah refer to communal sukkot in synagogue courtyards. A fact that caused quite a bit of trouble.
Source Sheet
Keeping the Community Together
Who is responsible for maintaining harmonious relations within the community?
Lesson Plan
Women’s Prayer Book - Over 500 years old
“Blessed are You…who has made me a woman, not a man.” Who knew that this text is actually found in a siddur from 500 years ago?!
October 7 Memorial Wall
October 7 memorial wall, created by the NLI, displays the faces and names of the murdered civilians and fallen IDF soldiers on and since October 7. Both digital and printable version of this wall are now available to download and use at your schools and community centers.
Game
I Spy Village - Tell Us What You See
How much did you notice about the village?
The Librarians | NLI Blog
Lesson Plan
Yom Kippur at Metz - Historical Resources
Compare resources which depict the same event but in a distinct way, and reflect on the meaning of the differences.
Printable Activity
Jerusalem Activity Page
Discover different maps of Jerusalem created in different times of history.
Lesson Plan
Oral History – Learning History to Learn About Ourselves
Record a meaningful oral history of a family member and get a personal glimpse into historical events, as well as our own history and identity.
Video
Teachers Talk - Map of Israel & Syria
Teachers Talk About NLI Primary Sources - Netanel Burstin - Map of Erez Israel & Syria
Video
Teachers Talk About Simchat Torah
In this video, a literature teacher Gal Man-Dror presents one of her favorite primary sources from the National Library: a Simchat Torah's flag from the Conservative movement, printed in 2013.
Lesson Plan
Chanukah Advertising in Israel
Since when does Simon the Macabbee promote citrus fruits?! Explore some funny and interesting advertisements connected to Chanukah.
Lesson Plan
Move Yom Hashoah to Tisha B'Av
Yom HaShoah is commemorated on April 27, the day on which the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began.
Video
Jerusalem as a Microcosm of Israeli Society
This webinar discusses how learning personal stories can help contextualize and forge connections to grand historical events.
Source Sheet
Jewish Solidarity and Responsibility
Explore texts and primary sources that highlight the idea of support and solidarity between Jewish people around the world in different times in history.
Game
The Partition Plan
Which city was not part of the Jewish state? Click on the cities that were not part of the Jewish state according to the partition plan.
Game
Which Purim poster are you?
Are you a party animal or a traditionalist? Find out which Purim poster reflects your idea of this festival!
Lesson Plan
Fashion, History and Politics
How did two prime ministers - David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin - use fashion to transmit political and moral values?
Blog
Letters Written by Israeli Kids to Soldiers During the Yom Kippur War
Letters written by Israeli children during the 1973 war reveal how they experienced one of the nation's most challenging periods.
Source Sheet
Teaching the Next Generation
What does Judaism have to say about teaching the next generation?
Blog
The Historic Aliyah of Ethiopian Jews
The unbelievable story of how a record number of people flew aboard a single airplane as part of 1991's Operation Solomon.
Video
Teachers Talk - Arch of Titus
Teachers Talk About NLI Primary Sources - Netanel Burstin - Photo of the celebration of the establishment of the State of Israel, Arch of Titus, Rome, 1948.
Printable Activity
Pesach Activity Printable Page
Learn how different historical circumstances come to life in the unique design of each Haggadah.
Source Sheet
Prayer During Wartime
Discuss letters written by children during times of war and try to understand the writers' thoughts and emotions
European Days of Jewish Culture
Game
Where in the World? Jewish Schools
Test your geography skills and discover historical photographs of Jewish schools from all over the world from the NLI collections.
Blog
The Initial Sketches and the Proposals that Fell Short: How the National Emblem was Chosen
It was a close competition between artists to see who would receive the honor of designing the National Emblem
Game
Diary From A Besieged Jerusalem
Can you identify the places? Jerusalem, then and today. Click to flip the pictures!
Faces & Faces - Exploring Jewish Communities
Source Sheet
Tzedakah in the Jewish Community
Explore our responsibility to each other within the community and to then try to put what you learned into practice
Source Sheet
Celebration in Times of Crisis
Using the Chanukiah as a case study, discuss what values we are celebrating on Chanukah, and explore the rules regarding lighting Chanukah candles in times of danger
Blog
The Origin of the Dreidel
On Chanukah Jewish kids all over the world play with dreidels. We invite you to discover the origin of the famous Chanukah game.
Lesson Plan
Bringing Bikkurim (First Fruits)
How was Shavuot celebrated in the time of the temple, and how does this tradition compare with its modern Zionist interpretation?
Video
Teachers Talk About Sukkot with Dina
Dina talks about primary sources on sukkot
Printable Activity
Sukkot Activity Printable Page
In these printable pages, you can explore sukkot ('succahs') built as you've never seen them before.
Lesson Plan
Why Does a Chanukiya Look Like That?
What makes a chanukiya a chanukiya? What does the choice of material and design teach us about the time and place it was made?
Printable Activity
Ketubot from Across the Globe
Explore ketubot from different times and places and learn how artistic design can reflect one's values and identity
Source Sheet
Conducting an Argument for the Sake of Heaven
Explore traditional, modern and visual texts to reflect on the value of arguing and why it is so important to learn how to disagree.
Printable Activity
Pesach Photographs with Discussion Questions
Explore the unique photos from the National Library of Israel's collections and discuss questions with your students.
Worksheet
Sukkot Worksheet
Explore Sukkot primary sources from the NLI's collections, answer the questions and discuss different topics with your students!
Worksheet
Let My People Go
In this lesson, you will uncover the meaning of the slogan "Let My People Go" which was used by the Soviet Jewry movement to allow Jews to immigrate to Israel.
Source Sheet
Rosh Hashanah's Theme Music
A central mitzvah (commandment) of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar whose sounds are intended to induce teshuvah (repentance). Read the TANACH texts about shofar blowing, explore the primary sources, and discuss what you feel when you hear the shofar.
Source Sheet
A Place to Come Together
Explore different aspects and functions of the synagogue in Jewish communal life, and reflect on what it means to you!
Lesson Plan
Israeli Athlete Ester Roth-Shahamorov
Who inspired hundreds of young athletes and continues to be a role model to those who wish to combine a career with motherhood?
Lesson Plan
Commemorating Yom Hazikaron
Discover how Yom Hazikaron is commemorated by analyzing a poster created by Tzipi Berak Biyonsky.
Lesson Plan
Oneg Shabbat - A Shabbat Celebration
The content varies depending on the group organizing the event and can include a lecture, singing, refreshments, or any other type of entertainment.
Lesson Plan
Learning to be a Local
Learn how Israel has absorbed immigrants from around the world and helped them adjust to their new country by teaching them Hebrew.
Lesson Plan
Discovering the Maccabees - The Heros of Chanukah
How did the Maccabees inspire Jews throughout the ages? What made them role models for the founders of the State of Israel?
Lesson Plan
Using Persuasive Materials
Election posters use advertising methods to convey messages. How can we recognize tools used by designers that influence the viewers?
Lesson Plan
Analyzing Memorial Day Poster 2008
Analyze this Yom Hazikaron Poster for Fallen Soldiers. The main image in this poster is Michael Elkayam.
Game
Which Israeli City Should You Visit? - Quiz
Wondering where to go for your next adventure? Take our quiz to find the perfect destination for you.
Lesson Plan
Create your own Megillah for Purim
Create your own illustrated scene from the Megillah based on the analysis of historical illuminated manuscripts from the NLI collections.
Lesson Plan
Visual Essay: Independence Day Posters
Go back in history and take a look at some of the posters that were created in the early years of the State of Israel.
Teaching Kit
Chana Senesh Time Capsule
Jewish Soldier and Poet. Through this interactive experience, take a journey through the works and life of Chana Senesh
Game
El Al Poster of Israel Puzzle
This puzzle features an El-Al poster with a map of Israel. Do you recognize any of the places on the map?
Lesson Plan
Israel: Then and Now
Compare historical and recent photographs to discuss the changes that have taken place in Israel over the last 150 years.
Worksheet
The Jews of Russia
In this worksheet you will explore the history, culture and traditions of the Russian Jewish community through photographs, newspapers, documents and more.
Game
Telling Time
Create a timeline that tells the story of your community and learn about the people behind these events
Maps - The Eran Laor Cartographic Collection
Lesson Plan
Put Them Together and Shake
Analyze photographs and study classical Jewish texts in order to gain a deeper understanding of the Arba Minim and Sukkot.
Video
The Balfour Declaration - Learn More!
Learn more about the drafting of the Balfour Declaration, in which the British government expresses its support for the Zionist enterprise.
Lesson Plan
Traditions That Ring a Bell
Get a chance to hear recordings from Jewish holiday and life cycle events across time and place.
Video
Primary sources | What can you learn from them?
In this video, we will give you useful tips on how you can use them in your teaching. Choose any of the NLI's resources and analyze them with your students!
Teaching Kit
Naomi Shemer Time Capsule
Israeli Song Writer. Learn about Naomi Shemer’s life, get to know some of her iconic songs and reflect on the texts
Lesson Plan
Create your own Shana Tova card!
Design your own Shana Tova card inspired by illustrations and texts from historical cards!
Game
Which Jewish Festival Are You?
This quizz will help you to figure out what Jewish holiday you are!
Source Sheet
Remembering in Real Time
Explore primary sources and Jewish texts dedicated to the idea of preserving collective memories by integrating them into everyday life
Decorations
Purim Decorations
Worksheet
Prayer During Wartime
Analyze the prayer written in 1809 by Rabbi Moses Sofer as a response to the Austro-Polish War.
Game
Inside and Outside the Sukkah
Learn about Sukkot in the past and connect it to how we celebrate Sukkot today.
Video
Between Yom Hashoah and Yom Hazikaron
This on-demand webinar explores the centrality of rituals in Israeli culture and discusses new initiatives for commemoration.
Video
Teachers Talk - A Letter
Teachers Talk about NLI Primary Sources - Letter from Sarah Aaronsohn
Video
Take a Unique Look at Maps of Jerusalem
Gil Hovav presents three unique maps of Jerusalem, that depict the city from an unusual point of view.
Video
Why We Eat 'Simanim' During Rosh HaShanah
Why do we eat such weird foods on Rosh HaShanah? Watch this video to find out! Video courtesy of Kan - the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.
Game
Israel and Olympic Trivia Game
Do you know Israel's history in the Olympic Games?
Source Sheet
Picturing the Tanakh
It is sometimes difficult to picture the places that we read about in the Tanakh. Luckily, there are drawings and photographs which help us to imagine what the places and events described in the Tanakh look like.
Blog
Yitzhak Rabin’s First Peace Negotiation (and Necktie)
Just prior to his 27th birthday, the modest red-headed lieutenant colonel was abroad for the first time, reluctantly part of the Israeli negotiating team on the Greek isle of Rhodes. He had never worn a suit.
Haggadot Riddles
Match the riddle to the image to discover different haggadot from around the world
Lesson Plan
Oral History - Learning about ourselves
Record a meaningful oral history of a family member and create a video to reflect on how our family history influences your lives today.
Source Sheet
Henrietta Szold
Henrietta Szold ran Youth Aliyah, an organization that rescued 30,000 Jewish children from Nazi Europe and she remained a mother figure to many of those children. To honor her memory, 'Family Day' is marked on the anniversary of her death.
Lesson Plan
Planting a Tree from Afar - Create a Certificate
Design our own tree certificate while learning about the custom of planting trees in Israel.
Blog
Leonard Cohen is Singing for the Soldiers During the Yom Kippur War
The story of how the Jewish-Canadian singer-songwriter ended up singing for soldiers and crossing the Suez Canal with the IDF during one of Israel's most desperate hours.
Video
Renee Molho: A Bookstore in Six Chapters (Centropa)
This is the story of two Jews - from Salonika, or Thessaloniki, in today's Greece - who managed to survive, thanks to a Spanish diplomat and some very brave Greek families.
Source Sheet
How Were Bikkurim Brought to the Temple?
How was Shavuot celebrated in the time of the temple, and how does this tradition compare with its modern Zionist interpretation?
Video
The Journey of the Ethiopian Oriyt
Follow the journey of the Ethiopian Oriyt from Ethiopia, through the deserts of Sudan, all the way to the National Library of Israel.
Blog
Marrying the Torah
To Have and to Hold: at the start of their studies, children in Morocco went through a symbolic wedding ceremony to bond them forever with the Torah.
Lesson Plan
Shavuot Prayers - Roman Jewish Community 1450
Step back in time to the the Roman Jewish community in the 1400s to consider the effect illustrations can have on the prayer experience.
Video
Celebrating in Tishrei
Discover how to use primary sources to enrich your teaching and prepare your learners for Sukkot and Simchat Torah
Printable Activity
Tu Bishvat Activity Printable Page
Have fun while you expand your knowledge, notice new things and celebrate the beauty of the natural environment that surrounds us. Happy hunting!
Source Sheet
Raoul Wallenberg and the Midwives
Explore the concept of moral courage through an examination of the story of the midwives in Exodus and the lives of Holocaust rescuers
Source Sheet
Women Who Sparked Change: Then and Now
How might we draw inspiration from great Jewish women's actions to spark change in our communities today and do our part to bring the hostages home?
Blog
The Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry
How a women's protest group made a difference by raising the cause of Soviet Jewish political prisoners during the Cold War
Lesson Plan
We are Angry! Women's Liberation Movement Ad
“We are not beautiful, we are not ugly, we are angry!” Who was so angry and what were they angry about?
Lesson Plan
Life of Yitzhak Rabin - Analyzing a Poster
Yitzhak Rabin served as IDF chief of staff and two terms as prime minister of Israel. On November 4, 1995, Rabin was assassinated by Yigal Amir, an extreme right-wing activist who opposed Rabin’s political ideology.
Webinar
A Year to October 7 | Remembering in Real Time
Explore ways to anchor this difficult time using primary sources that touch upon different aspects of memory and illustrate how Jewish culture has dealt with crises in the past
Game
Why are there Jewish Newspapers?
What makes Jewish newspapers special and important, and what would you include in yours?
Teaching Kit
Henrietta Szold Time Capsule
Founder of Hadassah. Learn about Henrietta Szold as a model for sparking change in the world
Printable Activity
Dreidel (Sevivon) Craft
Create your own unique dreidel with the custom-made NLI illustrations by the artist Einav Vaisman.
Source Sheet
Jewish Solidarity and Responsibility
Explore texts and primary sources that highlight the idea of support and solidarity
Lesson Plan
Breaking News – The State of Israel is Born!
How did newspapers around the world report the birth of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948? How would you announce it today?
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NLI teaching materials aim to foster key skills:
Observing
Examine the item, think of your first impression, pay attention to details, consider what sparks your interest, speculate where and when this item might be from.
Analyzing
Ask questions and inquire, dig deeper and research, find and organize data, understand the broader context, compare information through interdisciplinary learning.
Connecting
Interact, reflect, think about what resonates with you, forge an emotional connection, find personal relevance, learn together, share insights and hear more points of view.
Creating
Express yourself, crystalize your understanding and add a personal layer to what you have learned, use your interpretation to spark further dialogue and learning.
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