• Ask the students to spend a week following Israel in the Israeli press on the Internet through either the Jerusalem Post Internet edition or the Ha’aretz English language website.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=
JPost/P/FrontPage/FrontPage&cid=1002116796299

• Ask each student to bring in two articles: One should show the ugly side of Israel and one should show the best side of Israel an Israelis.

• In small groups let each student show both articles and explain what they feel about them and why they chose them.

• The group as a whole should now make two collages – one of “good” Israel and one of “bad” Israel.

• Discuss whether Israel needs to be a “Light to the Nations” or whether it needs to be a nation like all the other nations. Bring arguments for and against. You might want to bring in pieces from the writings of Ahad Ha’am, A.D. Gordon or Rav Kook to suggest why they think Israel must be different. [Look primarily in “The Zionist Idea” by Arthur Hertzberg.] You might want to bring in pieces from Amos Oz suggesting why Israel should not see itself in these terms. [See especially the last pages of his “In the Land of Israel”.]

• Debate and sum up bringing the pros and cons of the issue.