Today's Hot Topics

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 perspectivesA source sheet of relevant Jewish texts that speak to the Hot TopicA 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 disciplinesA glossary of Jewish values that indicates which lessons they connect to Contents:Introduction: Why Teach Hot Topics?THE DIGITAL WORLD1.What Should I Tweet?2.Can I Download Music for Free? HEALTH AND MEDICINE3.Should Medical Marijuana be Legal?4.Should the Minimum Drinking Age be Lower?5.The Vaccine DebateSOCIAL ISSUES6.Homosexuality and the Jewish Community7.Body Image: What is Real Beauty?8.Racism: Police and the CommunityISRAEL9.How and when may I criticize Israel?10. Whose Kotel is it?POLITICAL ISSUES11. Elections: How Should We Choose our Leaders?12. What Should We do about Guns?13. The Iran DealSPORTS ETHICS14. Should Football be Safer?15. Is the Final Four Fair? FOOD ETHICS16. What is Ethical Kashrut?17. Is it OK to Eat Meat?GLOSSARY OF JEWISH VALUES