How does Israel maintain its national security while still protecting the civil liberties of its citizens? This curriculum provides students with the historical context for understanding that question, by exploring the internal and external national security threats that Israel has faced in the past, the development of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the origin of civil liberties in the Israeli legal system. The curriculum also includes four illuminating case studies on present-day challenges to the national security/civil liberties balancing act: exceptions to IDF service, administrative arrests and detainees, Israeli Arabs and minority rights, and government censorship. These case studies are creative opportunities for students to more deeply understand the difficult decisions Israel makes when dealing with these critical issues.

This unit includes maps, poetry and historic images to convey the challenges and successes of Israel’s democracy. Thought-provoking discussion questions and engaging group activities help students connect more fully with the material. In addition, there are ample opportunities throughout the curriculum for comparative studies with the United States and other countries.

Israeli National Security and Civil Liberties was designed for 10th-12th grade students as well as adult learners. This curriculum unit is modular; it can be used in its entirety (which would provide five to fifteen sessions that were 45-50 minutes in length) or an educator may wish to select certain segments to teach individually. The teacher guide for this curriculum contains enduring understandings, essential questions, objectives, and activities for each chapter. There are also instructions for adding a family/community session. Both the teacher guide and student booklet include a glossary and list of web-accessible sources for further reading.

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Product Components

Student Booklet includes:

• 32 staple bound, colored pages
  • Helpful maps and photos
  • Activities and discussion questions
  • Copies of relevant historical documents
  • Sources and suggestions for further reading
  • Glossary of terms

Teacher Guide includes:

• 20 staple bound, colored pages
  • Enduring understandings, essential questions and objectives
  • Activities for each chapter in the student booklet
  • Instructions for hosting a family/community session
  • Sources and suggestions for further reading
  • Glossary of terms

Classroom Set includes:

• 20 Student Booklets
• 1 Teacher Guide