Sephardic and Mizrahi Lesson Plans

To help advance the White House’s recently released U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, JIMENA curated this collection of lesson plans and educational units on antisemitism and Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews. JIMENA was privileged to participate in White House listening sessions when they were designing this historic strategy and we commend them for Strategic Goal 1.1 which includes the following language:

“In addition to learning about the horrors of the Holocaust, students should learn about global histories of antisemitism. This should include histories of antisemitism experienced by Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews—who trace their ancestry to Spain, the Middle East, and North Africa—and their stories of exclusion, persecution, and expulsion. Students should also learn about the history of antisemitism in the United States as well as contemporary manifestations of antisemitism. Educators need readily available quality resources to enable such education.“
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/U.S.-National-Strategy-to-Counter-Antisemitism.pdf

As a long-standing leader in educating the public on the histories of Jews from Middle Eastern and North African countries, JIMENA looks forward to continuing our work to educate students and adults on the rich histories of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews from North Africa and the Middle East. For background information and guidance on how to use this collection, please click here.

Lesson Plans

PBS Learning Media: The World's First GhettoPBS Learning Media materials from the PBS series, The Story of the Jews explores the consequences of the Spanish Inquisition, including the origins of the word “ghetto.” Meets 9-12 standards in multiple states and national standards for civics and government.

PBS Learning Media: Jews in the Islamic WorldPBS Learning Media materials from Simon Schama's, The Story of the Jews, examines conditions for Jews living in Islamic lands during the Middle Ages. Meets 9-12 educational content standards in multiple states and national standards for civics and government.

PBS Learning Media: The Cairo GenizahPBS Learning Media materials from Simon Schama's, The Story of the Jews takes a look at medieval life for Jews and Muslims in Cairo Egypt from 1000-1500 AD. Meets 9-12 standards in multiple states.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Nazi RacismCreated by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, this lesson introduces foundational key concepts and information to understand racism, and, particularly Nazi racial antisemitism.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: The Holocaust in North Africa and the Middle East(Image of Tunisian Jewish men being rounded up and deported to a North African Nazi labor camp).
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's (USHMM) resources on the Holocaust in North Africa, provides valuable insights into this lesser-known aspect of Holocaust history.

Facing History and Ourselves: The Holocaust and Jewish Communities in Wartime North AfricaThree lesson mini-unit exploring the impact of the Holocaust and World War II on Jewish communities in North Africa.

California Department of Education: Antisemitism and Jewish Middle Eastern-AmericansThis lesson, produced by JIMENA, introduces students to antisemitism and its manifestations through the lens of Jewish Middle Eastern Americans. Approved by the California State Board of Education and adopted into their Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.

Fowler Museum at UCLA: Light and Shadows: The Story of Iranian Jews,Created by the Fowler Museum at UCLA, this comprehensive unit on Iran’s oldest religious minority explores how various challenges have affected the character of Jewish life in the country.

JIMENA: Around the Middle Eastern Jewish WorldJIMENA produced lesson plan that invites students to ‘travel’ through four countries in the Middle East and North Africa to understand how these groups came to exist.

JIMENA: Jewish Refugees from the Middle East and North AfricaJIMENA lesson plan to help students gain a deeper understanding of the refugee experience and foster empathy towards the challenges faced by individuals who are considered 'strangers'.

Justice for Jews from Arab Countries: The Forgotten RefugeesA comprehensive education unit that educates students about the history, heritage, and plight of the one million Jewish refugees from the Middle East and North Africa.