Today's Hot Topics

Visit our Today's Hot Topics page for videos to share with your class.

Jewish values can help us teach and navigate the challenges of our current age. Whether those issues are digital, medical, social, or ethical, Today’s Hot Topics encourages students, teachers and families to explore the issues of the day and develop their own opinions informed by Jewish values.

Each chapter of Today’s Hot Topics includes a complete package of resources that will help you lead a discussion about a Hot Topic with your students:

·         An article that includes stories and anecdotes, and explores the issue from multiple perspectives

·         A source sheet of relevant Jewish texts that speak to the Hot Topic

·         A lesson plan that takes you step-by-step through strategies for presenting the Hot Topic to a group of students; includes essential questions, objectives, and accompanying activities across multiple disciplines

·         A glossary of Jewish values that indicates which lessons they connect to 

Contents

Introduction: Why Teach Hot Topics?

THE DIGITAL WORLD

1.      What Should I Tweet?

2.      Can I Download Music for Free? 

HEALTH AND MEDICINE

3.      Should Medical Marijuana be Legal?

4.      Should the Minimum Drinking Age be Lower?

5.      The Vaccine Debate

SOCIAL ISSUES

6.      Homosexuality and the Jewish Community

7.      Body Image: What is Real Beauty?

8.      Racism: Police and the Community

ISRAEL

9.      How and when may I criticize Israel?

10.  Whose Kotel is it?

POLITICAL ISSUES

11.  Elections: How Should We Choose our Leaders?

12.  What Should We do about Guns?

13.   The Iran Deal

SPORTS ETHICS

14.  Should Football be Safer?

15.   Is the Final Four Fair? 

FOOD ETHICS

16.  What is Ethical Kashrut?

17.  Is it OK to Eat Meat?

GLOSSARY OF JEWISH VALUES