The Exodus from Egypt

Lesson Plan by Zion Ozeri, Sara Wolkenfeld, and Josh Feinberg

Let My People Go, New York City, USA, 1987                 ©Zion Ozeri

Look closely at this photograph:

• What do you think is happening in this picture?

• What do the words on the signs suggest to you about this scene?  What do you infer from the expressions on these people’s faces or the way they are standing?

• This photograph was taken at a time when Jews in the Soviet Union were not allowed to practice their religion or immigrate to other countries where they would have had religious freedom.  How does that information clarify your understanding of the photograph?

• Why do you think the people in this picture are protesting for the release of Soviet Jews?  Why do you think this was important to them?  Why do they believe that “their fight is our fight”?

• Have you ever been to a protest or demonstration (or seen one on TV)?  How did you feel seeing or being part of it?  

• Do you think these types of efforts are effective?  What causes do you feel strongly enough about that you would choose to protest for or against them?  

You can learn more about the Soviet Jewry movement here:

• Jews in America: Soviet Jewry Movement

• How A Quest To Save Soviet Jews Changed The World : NPR

•  Life as a Refusenik | Jewish Women's Archive

• History | THE REFUSENIK PROJECT

Read the following text, which comes from the book of Exodus, shortly after the Israelites left Egypt.

שמות יג:ג

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָעָ֗ם זָכ֞וֹר אֶת־הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצָאתֶ֤ם מִמִּצְרַ֙יִם֙ מִבֵּ֣ית עֲבָדִ֔ים כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הוֹצִ֧יא יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יֵאָכֵ֖ל חָמֵֽץ׃

Exodus 13:3

And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how GOD freed you from it with a mighty hand: no leavened bread shall be eaten.

Discuss:

• “This day” is identified as a transformational moment. Before, you were a slave, and now you are free. Have you ever had a transformational moment in your own life? What was it, and why was it important? 

• What aspects of leaving Egypt do you think are most important to remember, and why? 

• You can remember something without changing what you eat. Why do you think Moses adds this detail about not eating leavened bread? 

• No one alive today was present for this biblical story. What does it mean to remember something that you didn’t actually experience? 

• How - if at all - does knowing this story influence how you think about being Jewish in the 21st century? Are there things that you would do, or not do, because of this story? 

Now revisit the photograph and text together:

• How does this text relate to the photograph?  

• How might this biblical text inspire people to take various actions today?  How is it relevant today?

• What does it mean to you to be free?  Do you think the meaning of the word has changed at all over time?

• What inspires you to fight for the causes that are important to you?

Follow-up activities: 

• Take a photograph that reflects a cause you care deeply about.  Find a text (traditional or contemporary) that supports your position on the issue.  Present your work to the class and explain why you feel the way you do about this issue.  Why is it important to you?  What or who influenced the way you feel?  What values or beliefs underlie your perspective?

• Take a photograph that represents the meaning of freedom to you.  Write a one-page reflection on “freedom” – what it means and how it is reflected in your photograph.

• Reflect on a transformational moment in your life – a specific, discrete event that changed the way you think, feel, or live your life.  What happened?  How did it change you?  Why did it have such a powerful impact?  How is your life different now?  Do you think it was a change for the better or for worse?