CRUSY ‘GAME OF LIFE’/LIFECYCLE FALL KINNUS 2012
Program Summary and Notes:
A note from the Facilitator: All the questions for the life sized game board were on colored paper, and laminated so that USYers could step on them. I purchased giant sized dice through Oriental Trading. The USYers were divided into mishpachot on Friday, and during the sicha each mishpacha decided on their family values. On Saturday, as they walked the giant game board, each mishpacha received mitzvah points when they answered questions correctly. We made up what looked like fake money but because we gave it to them on Shabbat it said “mitzvah point”.
The squares included in this document are only a few examples of the more than 100 squares that we used.
Session 1: We are Mishpacha
Staff instructions for Friday, November 16, 2012
USYers have been divided in to family units of about ten people. Tonight you are working with the Silverstein family.
1. Go around the circle to have each person introduce themselves. 5 minutes
2. Tell them to discuss and decide who the members of their household are. They need to discuss the familial roles (mother, father, son, daughter, grandparent, aunt/uncle etc.) to each person in the group. The family must live together and can be composed in anyway (i.e. single parent, same-sex couples, grandparents/other extended family members who live in the same house). All families need to have at least one parent and two children. The USYers representing the kids in the family should decide how old they are. 10 minutes
Sample Family: Mom, Dad, oldest son, middle daughter, middle son, youngest son, infant daughter, paternal grandmother, and Mom’s sister all living in the same house together. (it sounds big and crazy but it will work out!!)
3. Your family must select what Jewish traditions, Mitzvot, and Minhagim they will observe. Have them select two texts which they will use to help guide them make their decisions tonight and tomorrow. 10-15 minutes
4. Using the 2 texts they selected, complete the worksheet using the stickers to indicate their decisions. 15-20 minutes
5. Collect the family worksheet-put it in the envelope provided. Turn it in to Rabbi Josh Foster or Arlyne.
Tell your family that tomorrow they working together as a mishpacha to earn mitzvah points playing the Game of Chai.
We are the Solomon family
Place a sticker next to the answer that best fits your family’s decisions.
1. Observance
Kosher or not?
· Family will keep a kosher home
· Will keep kosher outside of the house
· Will not keep kosher
· Some of us will keep kosher, other family members will not
Discuss your decisions. (i.e. Our family will keep a strictly kosher home and only eat dairy outside of the house, etc.)
Shul attendance?
· Family will attend shul every Shabbat.
· Family will rarely attend shul.
· Family will only attend is there is a family or friend’s simcha.
Discuss your decisions. Will your whole family attend? Just the kids? Just the adults?
Shabbat and Holiday Observances?
· Family is going to be Shomer Shabbat.
· Family is not going to be Shomer Shabbat
Discuss your decisions. If not, to what extent are you going to observe Shabbat? Will your kids miss school on holidays to go to shul?
2. Pick the neighborhood your family will live in.
Suburbs:
· Pro: Good neighborhood, houses are cheaper, good schools.
· Con: Far from shul so you would have to drive, far from the Jewish day school which is located in the city and not as strong of a Jewish neighborhood.
City:
· Pro: Close to shul, close to the Jewish day school, and a strong Jewish community with a lot of kosher restaurants and groceries.
· Con: More expensive housing and the public schools aren’t as good.
Discuss your decisions and place a sticker on where you will live.
3. The adults in your household must chose a Job. This job will provide you with mitzvah points during the Game of Chai.
Unemployed/Homemaker/Retired
· Pro: This adult will get to spend more time raising their children.
· Con: This adult will make no money
Teacher at a Jewish Day School
· Pro: This adult will teach the future leaders of our religion and his children will receive free tuition to that school (for all grades), he/she will have summers, weekends, and Jewish holidays off.
· Con: This adult will not make that much money.
Doctor
· Pro: This adult will make a lot of money for his/her family.
· Con: The hours of this job will be very long and taxing which won’t allow for much family time. Furthermore, this adult may have to work on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
Lawyer
· Pro: This adult will make a lot of money for his/her family.
· Con: The physical toll of the job will be grueling and the parent will have very little time with his/her family. He/she will have more flexible hours than the doctor, so observing Shabbat and Jewish holidays would be more feasible.
Rabbi
· Pro: This adult will make a very livable wage, be able to celebrate Shabbat and all Jewish holidays.
· Con: The family of this adult will always be in the public light of the congregation they are working for.
Professor at a College
· Pro: Adult will make plenty of money and have a lot of time to spend with family due to flexible scheduling. He/She will always be able to celebrate Shabbat with their family because college classes are not held on Saturdays.
· Con: Jewish holidays will be tricky to celebrate.
Government Job:
· Pro: This job doesn’t require as much education as the others and pays a livable wage. It also offers a good pension program after retirement.
· Con: Hours are very inflexible which would prevent this adult from celebrating Shabbat and Jewish Holidays.
Stand Up Comedian
· Pro: Chance for a big break, work is really inconsistent though
· Con: Inconsistent pay and may have to work Friday nights and Saturday nights
Public school teacher
· Pro: Good steady job with summers and weekends off.
· Con: This member of the family will have to work on chagim that take place during the week.
Director of Jewish Non-Profit Organization
· Pro: This family member will get days off for Jewish holidays and Shabbat.
· Con: Hours are demanding and the job environment is stressful.
Kosher Caterer
· Pro: Will have good hours during the week and will be able to spend time with the family.
· Con: Will be busy on Shabbat and Holidays when he/she is catering events. However, this member will still be able to observe Shabbat to its fullest.
Artist
· Pro: Will be able to work from home sometimes and choose his/her, own hours.
· Con: Will not have the consistent paycheck of a doctor, teacher, etc.
Discuss your decisions and place stickers next to the professions the adults in the family decided upon.
4. Your family must choose where its kid’s will go to school. You may receive bonuses throughout the game depending on what school your children attend. Please choose your school based on the values you picked at the beginning of this activity.
· K-12 Jewish day school
· K-12 Non-Jewish private school
· K-12 public school
Discuss your decisions and place stickers next to the school your family decided upon.
Session 2: Questions and Challenges for Game of Life
Questions, Dilemmas, Challenges and Points
1. Your oldest child is about to begin elementary school. Will you send them to Jewish day school? Why or why not? (Mitzvah points distributed at the discretion of the judge at that square. Points for sending them or having a good reason not to AND having an alternative Jewish education plan)
2. You got a $1,000 bonus, and have decided to allot it to tzedakah. How will you spend it in a way that lines up with your values? (Mitzvah points distributed at the judge’s discretion.)
3. Your friend asks to copy your homework because he was busy taking care of his little sister who had the flu. What do you say? (+100 mitzvah points for a creative solution: ex. asking the teacher for an extension, offering to help him but not give away the answers, etc. 0 points for letting him cheat or for being heartless upon saying no.)
4. Name the five books of the Torah in Hebrew and English. (+10 points for each: Bereishit- Genesis, Shemot- Exodus, Vayikra- Leviticus, Bamidbar- Numbers, Devarim- Deuteronomy)
5. Sing Baruch HaGever as a round, with all three parts (+200 points if they actually do it with the badadas, the oooos, and the words.)
6. What is the name of the Israeli equivalent of Conservative Judaism called? (Masorti, +50 points)
7. Sing the CRUSY cheer, with an interpretive dance. (+50 for doing it, +100 for creativity)
8. Name the 10 plagues, in Hebrew or English. (+10 for each: dam-blood, tzfardea-frogs, kinim-lice, arov-wild beasts, dever-plague, sh’chin-boils, barad-hail, arbeh-locusts, chosech-darkness, makat bechorot-death of the firstborn)
9. You were driving out of the school parking lot, and scraped someone else’s car. You caused no real damage, but you definitely left a scratch on their passenger door. What do you do? (Mitzvah points awarded at the judge’s discretion, but apologizing gets points and offering monetary compensation gets more points.)
10. You got out of a boring work dinner because it’s on Shabbat, and your boss was totally understanding about it. (+50 mitzvah points)
11. You gave up your golf outing this Friday so that you could invite guests for Shabbat and have time to prepare and cook. (+75 mitzvah points)
12. Name the 7 species of the Land of Israel. (+10 points for each: wheat, barley, date, fig, pomegranate, olive, grape)
13. Without talking, get in alphabetical order by the first letter of your Hebrew name. (+100 points)
14. You organized a blood drive at your school in order to help save lives at a time when blood banks are struggling. (+100 points)
15. UH- OH! You talked with your friends about how one of the other kids in your class is really annoying because she asks too many questions Give up 15 mitzvah points
16. What are the 4 special Shabbatot leading up to Passover? Bonus if you can name the fifth. (+20 points each for Shabbat Shekalim, Shabbat Parah, Shabbat Zachor, and Shabbat HaChodesh, +25 points for Shabbat HaGadol.)
17. Name an acrostic in t’fillot. (+50, for Ashrei, Anim Z’mirot, Tikanta Shabbat (in the Shabbat musaf amidah), Yedid Nefesh, Eishet Chayil)
18. Name as many overnight Ramah Camps as you can. (+10 each for Palmer, Berkshires, Canada, Wisconsin, Outdoor Adventure/Rockies, Darom, California, Poconos)
19. You rocked the haftarah at your bar mitzvah, and asked for donations to the local food pantry instead of presents. (+200 mitzvah points)
20. Because you know it’s good for the environment, you bought reusable lunch bags for all of your kids and pack their lunches in reusable containers with real silverware- even though it means more dishes for you to wash at the end of the day. (+100 mitzvah points)
21. Your entire family spent your Sunday volunteering at the local soup kitchen because you think everyone deserves a warm meal, and because you want to give back because you’re thankful to have enough to eat. (+300 mitzvah points)
Moral Dilemmas:
NEW SQUARES:
You see a 10-year old boy steal an apple at the grocery store. If you report him, go right, if you don’t say anything, go left.
You walk by an open grassy area every day and today you see that it’s covered in litter. What do you do? If you walk by like you do every day, go right, if you stop to pick up some garbage, go left.
You see two teenagers picking a fight with one another. You look at them and see you’re about the same size. If you intervene to try and stop it, go right. If you call the police, go straight, if you avoid it because it’s not your problem, go left.
Everyone in the community has decided give money toward a new playground at the big park in town. You have a nice playground in your backyard and don’t see a need for this communal playground. If you give money to the project anyway, go left, if you refuse to give any money, go right.
Life Squares:
It is time to go to college!! Your oldest child is faced with a tough decision. He/She just got into his/her dream school. However, it does not have a very good Jewish life. His/Her second choice has one of the best Hillel’s in the country and is very good academically as well. What should he/she do? (Road splits here.)
You are about to give away your last tzedaka donation of the year before it is time to file taxes. You have $50.00 left in your budget. Who will you donate your money too, the Hurricane Sandy relief fund or your synagogue’s scholarship fund? (this fund can be for Religious school, USY conventions, Jewish summer/day camp, etc.) (Board splits)
Imagine you were the only Shomer Shabbat person in your family. One Saturday afternoon after shul, your mother suggests that you go out to lunch as a family. What do you do? Do you break Shabbat to go out with your family? Or do you stay at home alone? (Board spilts)