WARNING: This lesson is meant for older high school students. Please preview before showing to your students. The video contains graphic images during and after the shooting. You may choose to show just the part of the video starting at 2m:05s when PBS News Hour conducts a sit down interview with Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the nonprofit Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
Two gunmen opened fire Sunday evening on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach, sending crowds fleeing for safety. At least 16 people are dead, including one alleged gunman and a 12-year-old child, and 38 others were wounded. Ali Rogin speaks with Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the nonprofit Jewish Council for Public Affairs, for more.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching.
You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Where is Bondi Beach? (see map)
- When did the shooting at Bondi Beach take place?
- What religious event was being celebrated at Bondi Beach?
- Who were the people targeted, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese?
- Why has antisemitism been on the rise in the last few decades and particularly the last 10 years, according to Amy Spitalnick?
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Amy Spitalnick says the attacks on Jewish people are part of a broader normalization of antisemitism conspiracy theories and tropes. What are ways our society can fight this normalization and better counteract antisemitism?
Media literacy: Why do you think Spitalnick included teaching people media literacy skills as a way to counteract antisemitism?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Learn more about antisemitism by conducting research online at organizations, such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism
Share what you learned with a family member, classmate or a friend.
Credit: United State Holocaust Memorial Museum screenshot
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