This resource engages with the current crisis in Israel through the value of Presence.
Note for facilitator:
This resource was created by the Values in Action team in response to times of crisis and tragedy. It is designed by educators for educators as a tool for processing difficult events through a values-based approach. It does not engage with politics, history, or religion per se, but rather offers a path for educators to help their learners and community members process challenging moments with values as a starting point.
Read the following opening lines from the poem “Wanted” by Admiel Kosman:
"Wanted, a quiet place to rest the soul.
Just for a few moments.
Wanted, a place to rest the feet.
Just for a few minutes."
Facilitator prompts the group:
Facilitator reads for framing:
Presence is a state when your brain is fully engaged in a particular moment, and you are an active participant with what is happening around you. In times of crisis when emotions run high, with non-stop news cycles playing in loops on our feeds, and with concern for our loved ones and our communities intensifying, it can be nearly impossible to find a moment of presence to gather our emotions. And with good reason – the care and concern for others overwhelms us. Holding onto the value of presence for a few brief moments allows us to anchor ourselves in the moment we are in, so that we can move forward.
Facilitator prompts the group:
PART I– Free Journaling: (5 minutes journaling + sharing)
Facilitator prompts:
Participants are encouraged to share their reflections on how that felt with one another – either verbally or in writing. (Use, google doc, poster board, etc.)
PART II– What have you said? What have you heard? (7 minutes writing + sharing)
Facilitator shares the following prompts with the group and gives them seven minutes to respond to all of them in personal reflective writing, then encourages sharing with the group.
Facilitator encourages sharing, and the group listens and captures points of commonality and contrast.
Read together the following poem –מבוקש– “Wanted” – by Admiel Kosman (b.1957)– an Israeli poet and professor of Talmud.
(Depending on the group read in Hebrew and/or in English.)
Facilitator prompts the group:
- What is hindering our being present right now?
- What other values get in the way of presence?
- What makes being present difficult right now?
Facilitator prompts the group: What do you want right now?
Participants are encouraged to write their answers on a shared document or Jamboard, where answers can be captured anonymously. Each person reads out loud the response of another.
Facilitator prompts the group to make commitments:
Facilitator invites participants to spend 2-3 minutes writing their answers to the prompts above.
Facilitator prompts the group:
Facilitator prompts the group:
Pop Up that come after 2 clicks on page just for one time in coockes session
