Curriculum
- “Here Come the Judges” – Israelite Society After Moses & Joshua
- Biblical Warfare in Tanakh, Archaeology, & the Atlas.
- Heroic Literature & Wondrous Miracles
- Assignment: Who are the Judges?
- Moab & Israel – Unfriendly Relatives, Geographic Rivals
- A Secret Message – Deception in the Jewish Experience
- A Message From G-d – Teshuvah and the Shofar
- Assignment: Cartography – Mapping Judges
- From Tabor to Megiddo: Culture, Archaeology, & Religion
- “People Will Say That a Woman Defeated Sisera”: Acts of Deborah & Yael
- Biblical Song as Theology & Statecraft
- Assignment: Creating Deborah’s Playlist
- Visions of a Freedom Fighter
- Divine Victory: Dogs, Music, & Madness
- The Desire for Unity & Stability
- Assignment: Podcast “Meet the Judges – A Political Roundtable”
- Jephtah’s Emissaries: Jewish National History in Politics
- The Tragedies of Pride
- Assignment: A Eulogy for Jephtah’s Daughter
- The Allure of the Philistines: Geography, Culture, Religion
- Samson the Nazirite: Archetype of the Passionate Hero
- Riddles and the Yiddishe Kop
- Assignment: #Samson – Tweeting a Judge’s Journey
- From Patriarchs to Monarchs: Earning Leadership
- Ruth’s Difficult Choices
- Who is a Jew?
- Assignment: Animating Midrash – Story-Boarding a Judge’s Tale
Skills
- Navigate Biblical Commentary & Midrash
- Situate the Narratives of Judges in their Geographic and Cultural Settings
- Identify the Role of Key Judges in Jewish Thought
- Study Interpretive Methods in Art, Music, & Film
Structure
- Course Meets Weekly via Webcam for Lectures and Group Assignments. Some Group-Work Required Betweeh Class Sessions.
- Students Use Digital Resources to Explore Interpretations of the Judges Narratives.
- Preparation for Class Consists of Pre-Reading Biblical Narratives and Watching Short Films Online.
- Ages 13-18.
Instructor: Rudy Stoler
In 2014, G-dcast (later Bimbam) produced a series of animated shorts on the Book of Judges and an accompanying curriculum, which in turn inspired this course. The characters in these timeless tales resonate throughout the Jewish experience and continue to teach us about the challenges and perils of leadership.