Shir Mizmor: A Jewish Identity Project for Bar- and Bat-Mitzvah Youth Project Summary: "Shir Mizmor: A Project for Bar- and Bat-Mitzvah Youth" involves 23 different groups of religious and secular young people (aged 11-13), in the question, "As I reach the age of responsibility ("Bar-/Bat-Mitzvah"), what does it mean that I belong to the Jewish People?" The project's main goal is to nourish a sense of Jewish belonging, identification and social responsibility, key elements in a definition of "good citizenship" within the Jewish people. Importance of the Project: One of the unfortunate consequences of the social and cultural shifts in the modern period has been a widespread estrangement from and ignorance of Jewish tradition and its living practice. This phenomenon exists in Israel both among native-born Israelis and new immigrants, and as a result, many young Jews in Israel have difficulty finding their place as they reach the age of Jewish maturity and responsibility, Bar- and Bat-Mitzvah. This problem is particularly evident in residential dormitories, where young people live together without the support and guidance of their families, many of which cannot in any event help them find their way Jewishly. "Shir Mizmor" tries to make up for what is missing here, by providing a point in common among a new generation. It is important that young people in Israel, religious or not, see their own maturity as a process of joining the Jewish people, whereby the individual discovers a deeper sense of self by giving to the community. Specific Goals of the Project: 1. That the participants will develop a sense of identification with the Jewish cultural heritage, and a feeling of belonging to the Jewish people. 2. That the young people will learn to see the importance of their maturity to the Jewish people and its future. 3. That the participants will learn to adopt attitudes of social responsibility, sensitivity towards others, and a feeling for the community, and will come to understand the connection between these values and Jewish tradition. 4. That the participants should take it upon themselves to apply these values in some way in their own lives as part of an effort to help someone else, and do it a number of times. Project Description: Project Shir Mizmor involves 23 diverse groups of young people (460 participants), aged 11-13, from five different schools in the south of Israel, in the question, "As I reach the age of responsibility ("Bar-/Bat-Mitzvah"), what does it mean that I belong to the Jewish People?" Intended for both religious and secular Israeli youth, and for both immigrants and native-born Israelis, the program focuses on three concentric circles of identity – the personal/familial, the communal, and the national. Thus participants are taught to relate to their unfolding Jewish maturity in relation to family, society and the larger world. Based on the traditional approach that counsels us to "educate a youth according to his path," the project adopts different teaching methods – from drama games to stories, text-study, and hands-on learning – and adapts them for different student populations and different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. For many young people, the Bar-/Bat Mitzvah means receiving presents; the program gets them to see that being a Jewish adult also means being able to give, and to lead. Topics range from the issue of self-restraint, to the nature of Israeli vs Jewish identity, to the question of social responsibility, the relationship to Diaspora Jews, and the nature of leadership. Participants – whether religious or secular – examine elements in the Jewish heritage, such as Shabbat, mitzvah [commandment], their Hebrew name, etc., and ask, 'What does this concept or heritage or Jewish practice mean to me?' Materials for activities are drawn from a broad range of both contemporary Israeli and traditional Jewish sources, from Midrash and Ethics of the Fathers to the songs of Naomi Shemer and the writings of Anne Frank, Theodor Herzl, Eliezer Schweid, etc. The program's activities are held in the schools and dormitories, so the participants feel on "home turf." The program concludes with a festive meeting with all the participants in the project.