Israeli
Veterans of 1948: War and Memory is an experiential education
project about the interplay between collective and individual memory in Israel.
By compiling sources from 1948-1949 and
comparing them with testimonies recorded by soldiers today, Ethan Pack and Eli
Terry (‘02) hope to shed light on how six decades of Arab-Israeli conflict have
layered personal memories with collective significance.
The project’s larger goal is to pair with Jewish educators
in the U.S. to present these testimonies to high school students. Eli, a public
school teacher in New York, is coordinating with Jewish day schools about
partnering with high school classrooms that teach Jewish History, Zionism or
Israel Studies. Through an interactive curriculum, Eli and Ethan will provide
students with the opportunity to learn about vital historical issues including individual
testimony, collective memory, multiple perspectives in a political conflict and
how the passage of time impacts the recording of history. Eli and Ethan also plan
to prepare an internet curriculum through which students can generate questions
for 1948 veterans and track the answers in real-time as Ethan conducts research
from Israel, offering them the chance to learn about historical research on the
ground.
The research is being undertaken by Ethan Pack who is
studying at Hebrew University.
Project partners include two Israeli organizations, Toldot
Yisrael and Zochrot, who
have offered to share their resources, including their expertise in locating
Israeli veterans of the war (most of whom are over 80 years old) for interviews.
How to get involved:
If any BYFI alumni know Jewish educators that would be interested in sharing this curriculum with their students, please contact Eli Terry (eli.terry@gmail.com). The shape of the final product is open to considerable input from the educational institution - Jewish day school, Hebrew school, youth group, or other school. If you have contacts in Israel that may be able to facilitate meetings with Israeli veterans of 1948, please contact Ethan Pack (ethanrpack@gmail.com). Please feel free to share any other ideas or feedback with us by emailing.
