Jerusalem – New Comic Book Depicting Biblical Stories To Be Used in Torah Classes

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    Jerusalem – The Education Ministry has recently introduced a new comic book into school curriculums in order to facilitate Bible studies among elementary school students.

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    The book, which contains an illustrated version of the books Samuel and Judges (Shoftim), is intended for use among fifth and sixth grade students, but the ministry plans to gradually expand the use of comics to all elementary school grades.

    It should be stressed that the books are meant to accompany and compliment the students’ reading of the original biblical text, rather than replace it.

    This is yet another move in a series of initiatives taken by the national supervisor of Bible studies at the Education Ministry, Drora Halevi, whose purpose is to bring children closer to the subject matter.

    Other initiatives included trips to known biblical sites, the incorporation of artworks by famous painters such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Chagall in Torah studies, and an online study program.

    Halevi explained that love of the Bible stems from an understanding of the text, sympathizing with the characters, a sense of familiarity with the places where the stories took place, and dealing with ethical dilemmas.

    She said that the comic book, which was written by Noya Sagiv and illustrated by Bella Goldenberg, enables teachers to “obtain quality teaching objectives through a humoristic experience.

    “The comics allows students to understand the text, particularly at a time when students read very little, and read the Bible even less, and are having trouble understanding it,” she added.

    Studying through cartoons, Halevi believes, “Connects the students to the Bible via their own world, and we have to adjust the teaching to the reality of the 21st century. We have to teach students in their way and help them feel close to the events.


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    14 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    This is a much better way of introducing younger students to
    T’nach then the old memorization approach. All torah study should be based on the most modern teaching methods rather than having some alte rebbe whining away in yiddish and having the class repeat the same words over and over without any real understanding. Its time to get modern in learning

    anonymous
    anonymous
    14 years ago

    Reply to #1 . We have a mesorah that we should be very proud of and we all know azoi vee der rebbe zcheesoi yugain oolainee hut gezugt, az chudush oosir min hatoire. If the current method of teaching produced so many gedolai olam, I wouldn’t tinker with it. Its a slippery slope, and it could end badly. The chitzoiniyin need only a crack in the door and the come marching in with their treif hashkufos. As long as we listen to da’as torah we won’t be steered wrong. Da’as torah and mesorah are our guiding lights in the darkness of this golus and we should be zoiche to be redeemed before modernity sets in bc before you know , modern ppl with modern hashkofos will say, we should build a modern bais hamikdush, and all jews are alike, with no distinction between kohanim leviyim and yisruailim, and no distinction between kohanim who are ba’alai mum and those who aren’t, afri lipeemai,vai lun mahai da’ate. But that’s what happens when you open the door. Beware!!!!!!!

    Yosele Pondrek
    Yosele Pondrek
    14 years ago

    Kayin & Havel went up the hill to fetch a pail of water,
    Hevel fell down and Kayin killed him.
    And that’s the end of my story!

    tanna kamma
    tanna kamma
    14 years ago

    Somehow we managed to understand Tanach without reducing it to a comic book, this will just give children the flawed & misguided perception that they are reading an interesting story rather than the word of G-d, R”L

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Afl rl they have one goal ois shmaden klal yisreal

    anonymous
    anonymous
    14 years ago

    Reply to #1 . We have a mesorah that we should be very proud of and we all know azoi vee der rebbe zcheesoi yugain oolainee hut gezugt, az chudush oosir min hatoire. If the current method of teaching produced so many gedolai olam, I wouldn’t tinker with it. Its a slippery slope, and it could end badly. The chitzoiniyin need only a crack in the door and the come marching in with their treif hashkufos. As long as we listen to da’as torah we won’t be steered wrong. Da’as torah and mesorah are our guiding lights in the darkness of this golus and we should be zoiche to be redeemed before modernity sets in bc before you know , modern ppl with modern hashkofos will say, we should build a modern bais hamikdush, and all jews are alike, with no distinction between kohanim leviyim and yisruailim, and no distinction between kohanim who are ba’alai mum and those who aren’t, afri lipeemai,vai lun mahai da’ate. But that’s what happens when you open the door. Beware!!!!!!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Where is the news in this ‘news’ story?

    My own kids are older than my wife and I care to think about kn”h and they always came home with drawings about the parshah that they got to color in to keep them interested. They even learned a litlle yiddish this way because the drawings were copies from a book for chassidesheh kids so the captions were all in yiddish and would sometimes ask what the words meant.

    Not to advocate for this comic book because I have never seen it and the way it is written might have problems. But has anymore burned the Jewish Press for its torah comics? Personally, I usually burn mine because of some half-witted letter to the editor written in response to a half-baked editorial or an even dumber response from the editor, but never because of the comics.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Where they burn the Jewish Press, they will eventually burn people.

    Tenach as a story?
    Tenach as a story?
    14 years ago

    When children learn Tnach as a story, they only see cruel politics and murders; And of course no religion what-so-ever. Some teachers have complained that children, later, tend to instill these politics into the Chumash as well. Some crazy ideas like, Moshe actually had his nephews killed, or Moshe actually believed the meraglim and that’s why the Yidden crossed the Yarden only right after his Peturah.
    They should learn Tnach when they are much older.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    They should give these out at yeshivos since they don’t even teach Navi to boys!