Tali Puterman
Originating from Cape Town, South Africa, Tali Puterman now lives in Boston and works as the Social Justice Educator and Community Organizer at Temple Israel of Boston. Tali received her MA in Educational Studies from Tufts University and her BA from Brandeis University. Reacting to her own experiences of miseducation growing up White in post-Apartheid South Africa attending an Orthodox Jewish day school, Tali challenges students to question and confront injustices and see themselves as Jewish leaders of change.
Henrietta Szold: Learning from the Past to Shape Our Future
Using Jewish herstory as a driving theme for the lesson, specifically the story of Henrietta Szold, students connect their Jewish identities and history with the understanding that they can be valuable activists and changemakers in society.
Overview
Enduring Understandings
- We have the power to make change in society
- Our Jewish history and our ancestors’ stories are relevant to our lives today
Essential Questions
- What does it mean to be a leader?
- How can you use your voice for change? What can we learn from past Jewish heroes?
- Why is Henrietta Szold’s story important?
Materials Required
- iPads (optional)
- Paper
- Pencils
- Projector
- Links to Youtube videos of social justice advertisement campaigns
- 3 Lego advertisement print-outs
Notes to Teacher
Before the scavenger hunt, the teacher should place Clues 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4a around the building; these are the clues that students will locate on their own. The teacher should hand out a copy of Clue 1 to each group, which will help them locate Clue 1a on their own. Once they find Clue 1a, they should return to the teacher for Clue 2 which will help them find Clue 2a; so on and so forth.
- Part 1 of this lesson will focus on Szold’s story and Part 2 will allow students to raise their voices and create social justice advertisement campaigns focusing on causes close to students’ hearts.
- When setting up the scavenger hunt in Part 1, teacher should keep in mind:
- Clues should be in Temple public spaces and in plain view
- Students should not disturb other classes on Temple property in order to find clues
- There should be enough clues for each group and students should understand they should not tamper with or sabotage clues belonging to other teams
- Students can use iPads during the scavenger hunt to google answers to clues; however, there are many alternatives if iPads are not available:
- Students can use their smartphones
- Teachers can create an info sheet with the relevant information for students to reference during the scavenger hunt
- Teachers can print JWA’s bio of Henrietta Szold and amend the clues so that all answers can be found in the bio
- Schools with access to a computer lab can have students use computers during the scavenger hunt
Henrietta Szold Scavenger Hunt Clues
Henrietta Szold Scavenger Hunt Answer Guide
Learn about Henrietta Szold’s life by reading her jwa.org profile.
Learn about Henrietta Szold’s life by reading her jwa.org profile.
Henrietta Szold Women of Valor
For more information, please visit our “Women of Valor” exhibit on Henrietta Szold.
Examples of Social Justice Campaigns
Examples of Social Justice Campaigns:
- Environmental Justice: Orangutan asks girl for help in sign language
- Gender Equality: Always #Likeagirl
- Anti-Bullying: 5th Graders Stand Up Against Bullying: Gives Hope to Many
- LGBTQ Inclusion: Keshet works to create a LGBTQ Inclusive Community