A poetic virtual tour that uncovers roots of the contemporary crisis; from Notre-Dame through Musrara to the site of Mandelbaum Gate along the old borderline between Israel and Jordan. On the top of Notre-Dame Monastery while looking at an amazing 360 view of the city, we will read poetry that reveals the deep divide between Left and Right wing views of the old city and Temple mount – The poetry may be 70 years old and more- the issues are still relevant. Walking the alleys of nearby Musrara we will discuss through poetry and song the events that led to the Israeli Black Panther riots of the 1970s. A lot of that pain is still in the air in today’s demonstrations. Our third and last stop is at what used to be the Mandelbaum Gate – the only passage between Israel and Jordan in the first 19 years of the state; a short story by Emile Habibi will uncover thoughts and feelings of Israeli Arab citizens about the divide. Program Handout

Dr. Rachel Korazim is a powerful speaker and a freelance Jewish education consultant specializing in curriculum development for Israel and Holocaust education. She is involved with Jewish education worldwide; creating and implementing in-service training programs for educators, writing educational materials, counseling and teaching. As one of the founders and directors of a special program for Israeli soldiers from disadvantaged backgrounds, she was responsible for creating the educational framework and training teachers for the implementation of the program. Born in Israel, she served in the I.D.F. as an officer in the central training base for women and was later a member of the I.D.F. delegation to Niger (West Africa). She is a graduate of Haifa University with a Ph.D. in Jewish education.

CSP Partners: Beth Israel (San Diego, CA), Beth Israel Congregation (Waterville, ME), Center for Small Town Judaism (Waterville, ME), Congregation Adath Jeshurun (Elkins Park, PA), Congregation B’nai Tzedek (Fountain Valley, CA), Congregation B’nai Israel (Tustin, CA), Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, Temple Bat Yahm (Newport Beach, CA), Temple Beth David (Westminster, CA),Temple Beth El of South Orange County (Aliso Viejo, CA), Temple Beth Ohr (La Mirada, CA), Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA), Temple Beth Sholom (Hull, MA), Temple Beth Sholom (Santa Ana, CA), Temple Emanuel (Newton, MA), Temple Judea of Laguna Woods, CA,  Town & Village Synagogue (NYC, NY), University Synagogue (Irvine, CA), Valley Beth Shalom (Encino, CA) & Walnut Street Synagogue (Chelsea, MA)