I kind of feel I won the educational lottery. Recently, I was asked to sit on the national educational and community outreach advisory board for New York public television station WNET’s production of “The Story of the Jews.”
What could be better than discussing Jewish history and giving my opinion about how to engage people in these fabulous stories?
This five-part documentary was produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation and was created by British historian Simon Schama. Milwaukee Public Television will broadcast this series over two nights; the first two episodes will air on Tuesday, March 25.
Piecing together a narrative starting with the Exodus, Schama tells this story through amazing artifacts and by taking the viewer to compelling locales.
He opens with an ancient menorah that belonged to Sigmund Freud and later visits the ruins of a Jewish community in Elephantine, Egypt. Watching the documentary makes you feel like you are on a tour with the most knowledgeable guide possible.
In February, I joined five other educators in New York to advise the WNET team on how to extend the broadcast beyond its initial air date.
The group included representatives from The Jewish Museum in New York, the Dallas Holocaust Museum, the Central Synagogue in New York and “Facing History and Ourselves,” a curriculum developer based in Boston.
They call this “Life After Broadcast” (LAB) and for each program they produce, they try to consider additional uses and audiences.
Schama met with us and talked about his process. In adapting the documentary for American television, eight minutes had to be cut from each episode.
One example of what was lost: Maimonides was eliminated from the segment on the Middle Ages. The staff members hoped they might be able to include some of these deleted scenes on the website.
In the third episode, Schama states, “I am a Zionist.” This was highly contentious in Britain, in which taking a Zionist stance is unusual.
In the final installment, Schama explores the current situation in Israel. The advisory council was conflicted about this portrayal and interested in what the response would be when it is broadcast in the US.
Each of the advisors watched the documentary with an eye towards building curriculum, so I looked for clips that would provide non-Jewish students with a way of understanding Judaism and Jewish life.
As a group, we discussed the top 10 clips and considered curricular connections. For example, when discussing the Dreyfus affair in 19th century France, we thought about what sort of context would a student need and how would you frame a retrial of Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred Dreyfus.
After going through this process, I think the pieces we focused on could be used by Sunday Schools and adult education programs.
We also helped develop an essay question for a national contest for high school students. The winner of this contest will get to tour a Jewish museum with Schama.
So we linked a series of video clips to different concepts of identity. I hope that some local students are inspired to enter and share their impressions of the Jewish experience.
This was an unbelievable opportunity. Meeting this national group and debating the finer point of Jewish history with people who have unique knowledge was a fabulous way to spend a snowy day.
The resources we developed will help in my work at Jewish Museum Milwaukee, and I feel privileged to be part of this project.
Ellie Gettinger is education director of the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, a program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
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