TEACHING EXODUS
As we pass the 70th anniversary of the Exodus, join us in emphasizing for learners of all ages the significance of the experience, the involvement of Americans, and how the stories remain timeless for continued engagement with history, humanity and the dream of our return to our homeland.
We are proud to present a comprehensive set of resources including an informational booklet about Exodus 1947 that educators, leaders and laypersons alike can utilize and benefit from as we seek to protect and safeguard the memory of the Exodus for future generations.
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE INFORMATIONAL RESOURCE BOOKLET
EXODUS ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
- JOURNEY TO STATEHOOD: EDUCATIONAL BOOKLET
Teach the Exodus story through thematic use the materials assembled within to bring the story to life for the next generation of learners. View and Download Now »
- READ AND DISCUSS the testimonies of survivors of the Exodus as they share their harrowing experiences aboard the ship and afterward.
- DILEMMAS OF THE EXODUS: REFLECTION PROGRAM
Bring to life the characters, the dilemmas and the challenges that the exodus leadership faced as they struggled to carry over 4,500 refugees to safety in the Jewish homeland. Learn More »
- SAILING HOME: Art Activity Create Now »
- SHARE the Exodus content with your family, friends, and community to ensure that the meaning of this voyage is remembered. Share Now »
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What do you think is the significance of the re-naming of the ship from President Warfield to Exodus?
- What was the purpose of the Exodus? Do you think you would have traveled on it if given the choice? Why or why not?
- How do you think the passengers on the Exodus, comprised of Holocaust survivors, felt as they raised the blue and white flag with the Star of David? Having survived the horrors of the Holocaust could they have imagined being able to raise this type of flag?
- Bill Bernstein was killed in battle while trying to help his people. Can you name other Jewish heroes who risked their lives to try to secure safety for the Jewish people?
- Why do you think the Jewish people were so determined to get to the land of Israel even though the British had made it so difficult?
- How would you feel if you were a survivor of the Shoah, having made the arduous journey by boat to Palestine, being returned on prison ships and being forced into a Displaced Persons (former concentration camp) in Germany?
- Why do you think the Jews who identified themselves as having been born in Palestine did so? What point were they trying to make?
- If you had survived the Holocaust and the plight of the Exodus, how would you feel living in the land of Israel in May 1948 when David Ben-Gurion declared statehood.
- What do you think was the world's reaction to witnessing these events on newsreels and reading about it in newspapers? Would it have been different if TV news was covering the events every day and bringing it into your living room?
- What can we learn from the determination and perseverance of the survivors of the Exodus and all those who helped them reach the Jewish homeland?
JOURNEY TO STATEHOOD: EXODUS 1947
