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	Tsunami Disaster Educational Materials
		Introduction: It is challenging for all of us to comprehend the devastation that hit South and Southeast Asia on December 26th, 2004, but it is even more difficult to explain it to our students and children. We want to bring our children close enough to the information to make them aware of the devastation and elicit sympathy for all those involved, but we want to keep them far enough away to protect their sense of security and innocence. Though we may not understand the purpose of the loss of life and utter destruction, our Jewish texts and values teach that there is an ultimate goodness in all of God's plans. By guiding our students to confront the devastation with acts of kindness, they are able to come to terms with the tragedy while enriching the world around them. In doing so, we can create some solace from the devastation. The following is a brief list of ways that you can use Jewish texts and values to approach the topic of the recent tsunami with students. Background on the Tsunami: It is important for students to have a clear, age-appropriate understanding of what a tsunami is and where the tsunami hit. The following web sites offer informative background on tsunamis and the geography of Southeast Asia. Discovery School National Geographic Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia New York Times Time For Kids CIA World Factbook Activities Students can use the tsunami as a springboard for a wide range of activities. These activities can be developed to meet the needs of students of all ages. Reflection The tragedy can help make students more aware of both the luxuries and the basic necessities that they are blessed to have. Have students brainstorm everything that they have in their home which would have been lost had they been near the tsunami. Then help them distinguish between the luxuries and the necessities. Explain to students that many of the tsunami victims lived in poverty and never even had the luxuries to begin with. Discuss ways to avoid taking the students' blessings for granted, including thanking God for the good, sharing the good with others, and being careful not to be wasteful. Prayer Prayer is an ideal way to express feelings of both sadness and thankfulness. Many passages from Tehilim (Psalms) are applicable to this situation. Students can use the newspaper and internet to collect names of the injured and can include "Mi SheBeirach" in their daily prayers. Students should also be encouraged to create their own prayers, in either Hebrew or English, to express their feelings. Empathy In the minds of many students, Southeast Asia is a distant land with few similarities to their own communities. Teaching students about the people and culture of the lands that were affected will bridge the gap between our nations. Begin by taking out a map and pinpointing the countries that were hit by the tsunami. Using pushpins and string, connect the various countries to your own location. Encourage your students to read some of the following resources to develop an understanding of the communities that were lost, and write letters to members of the Jewish communities to develop a closer relationship. World Jewish Congress Chabad Thailand - A wonderful perspective on the relief work from those who are directly involved, this website serves as a direct contact with the Jewish community in Thailand. Am Yisrael - Based in Israel, this website provides descriptions of Jewish communities in Asia and around the world. Honor There is a strong Jewish tradition to honor those who have died by doing acts of chesed (kindness) and study in their memory. Bring in articles about individuals who were killed in the tsunami. These individuals should range in age, gender and nationality. (Articles are readily available on www.cnn.com, www.nytimes.com, and all other news sources.) Dedicate your Torah study for one week to these people and read one article each day of that week. Alternatively, have each student select one good deed that they can strive to accomplish in memory of those who died. Areyvut's "A Kindness A Day: 365 Ways to Make A Difference" Desk Calendar is a wonderful source of acts of kindness that can be readily integrated into everyday life. Donation A very concrete way to take part in the relief effort is to make cash donations to organizations that are distributing humanitarian aid. It is important to communicate to children that every penny that they donate can make a large impact because the need is so great. You can begin a class collection and encourage students to bring in money from their own allowances, holiday gifts and piggy banks. Alternatively, students can hold a fundraiser to collect money from their neighbors, relatives, and other members of the school community. Here is a brief list of fundraising ideas that students can put together: Sell baked goods, candy, hot cocoa, or lemonade in your school or community. Gather gently used items and hold a garage sale. Have a raffle where various people or businesses donate unused items to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Have a service auction where students think of actions that they can do for others, such as babysitting, cleaning, homework help, etc., and raffle them off to the highest bidder. Hold a read-a-thon or walk-a-thon where sponsors agree to make a donation for every page that the student reads or every lap that the student walks. Shovel snow, rake leaves, or wash cars in exchange for donations. Collect and recycle soda cans for 5 cents a can. Put on a play and donate all proceeds from ticket sales to tsunami relief funds. Put together a literary journal, cookbook or poetry anthology and sell it to raise money to help tsunami victims. Hold a carnival or movie-night for local children and donate all proceeds to tsunami victims. The following is a list of web sites that may inspire your fundraising efforts: USA Freedom Corps - This web site provides a comprehensive list of organizations that are collecting funds to help tsunami victims Action It is important to communicate to students that natural disasters may be impossible to prevent, but their effects can often be alleviated with proper preparation. Allow them to take an active role in this process by putting together information packets about how to prepare for and best respond to natural disasters and distributing these packets throughout their community. Students can also lobby their Congressmen and Senators to support the creation of better warning systems throughout the world. Additional Resources Other organizations have created resource material to help educators respond to the tragedy. We will continue to update these resources and they become available. Jewish Resources Web Quest Created by Rabbi Naphtali Hoff General Resources Learning to Give National Service-Learning Partnership UNICEF Youth Action Tsunami Relief