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| • Shalom Y’all
for Educational and Institutional Use • Discussion Questions for Children and Young Adults • Fun Stuff • Other Jewish Educational Resources |
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Within the broad spectrum of cultural life in the United States, there have been periods of indifference followed by revival. In the current climate, as assimilation and the melting pot ideology have given way to multiculturalism, people in all parts of the U.S. are rediscovering, reinventing, and embracing cultural roots. Shalom Y’all seeks to discover if this trend has impacted Jewish communities in the South and to determine if they are claiming cultural identity and practicing religious traditions. The film asks these questions and encourages a dialog among children, young adults and older adults about southern Jewish identity and cultural identity. It deals with the difficult issues of racism, anti-Semitism and religious and cultural identity. For these reasons, Shalom Y’all is used as an effective educational tool in summer camps, schools, universities and other places of learning and personal growth. The following is a discussion guide that was used in conjunction with a screening of the film at Camp Blue Star in Hendersonville, SC. If you are interested in screening the film for educational or institutional purposes, please contact Susan Levitas at susan@shalomyall.com.
How many of you are southerner Jews? What does it mean to be a southern Jew? (Is it different than being Jewish elsewhere? Why?) Do you know Jewish people from the North? How do they seem different from you and your friends? Do you think it easier to be Jewish in the South or would it be easier in other parts of the country? Why? Do people ever treat you differently or make fun of you for being Jewish? What do they say? Discuss the Civil Rights period and the KKK in the South. Are things different today? Why do you think they are different? How many of you are from big cities in the South, like Atlanta, Memphis, New Orleans? How many of you are from smaller communities in the South? Do you think it’s different? Is anyone from a town where there really aren’t any other Jewish families? What’s that like? Where do you go to religious school? Do you have to drive to the nearest big city to study for your bar/bat mitzvah or celebrate Jewish holidays? What do think is going to happen to those small towns with dwindling Jewish communities? Will they disappear? What is going to happen to the synagogues? What is going to happen to the Torahs, Kiddush cups, prayer books? What would you do if you were at a flea market or a garage sale and you saw pieces of Judaica? (Torahs, Kiddush cups, prayer books) Do you think it is better if someone buys it and takes it home? Takes it to a museum where people can look at it?, or if they give it to a synagogue or camp to be used by the congregation? Why is important to preserve these items? Is it part of our history and traditions that we are preserving? Can you draw a picture that encompasses southern and Jewish identity? Other Jewish Educational Resources: The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life The Southern Jewish Historical Society The Deep South Southern Jewish Voice |
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