Jerusalem
Big Idea: Political capitals and religious centers are very different kinds of symbols. Symbols can become a quintessence/microcosm of what they represent.
TOPICS
- Holy or Central?
- Religious or National?
- Divided or United?
- Annexed or Occupied?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND VIDEO LINKS
- National Geographic – Jerusalem Trailer
- One Rock Three Religions Trailer
- East Jerusalem Conflict – Seeker News
- A City Divided – Vice News
READINGS:
- Jerusalem’s Religious Significance: Yitzchak Reiter and Marwan Abu Khalaf
- Ben-Gurion on Moving the Capital to Jerusalem
- Jerusalem Basic Law
- Defending Israel’s Legal Rights to Jerusalem. Gold, Dore in Israel’s Rights as a Nation-State in International Diplomacy. JCPA 2011.
Students will know:
- Religious significance of Jerusalem to the religions
- Religious significance of other sites to other religions
- Cultural and political significance of Jerusalem to Judaism
- Modern history of Jerusalem
Big Ideas:
- The status of Jerusalem is an obstacle to a final peace agreement
- Jerusalem is of major importance to the three Abrahamic faiths
- Jerusalem is the historical and political capital of the Jewish people
Learning Activities:
- Jerusalem video
- Religious Jerusalem
- Pre-1967 photos and maps
- Post-1967 map
- State department
- Updated Jerusalem status
