“All of Israel” by “Miss” Emily Aronoff Teck
Track # 11 from Good Choices, Volume 2
Inspiration Text
“All of Israel is responsible for one another--Kol Yisrael arevim zeh b’zeh.” -Sanhedrin 27b
“All Of Israel” Activity
Share with students that Jewish people have a long tradition of taking care of one another, and share examples that might be relevant to your classroom. There are numberous examples: Discuss an organization like PJ library that helps Jewish families get books and music; or share with students the fact that Israel will help any Jewish person establish a home in Israel. Send a conversation starter home with students, asking parents to finish the sentence “The Jewish community has helped me by _______________.” The next day, reinforce the students’ understanding by asking them to share their family members’ responses, writing a list of all the ways that the Jewish community has helped the family members of their classroom community.
As appropriate, reinforce the meaning of the Hebrew phrase “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh b’ zeh,” which means “All of Israel is responsible for one another.”
Lyrics
We all see the same stars
We all share the same start
Time and distance don’t matter
Jews are never far apart
CHORUS:
All of Israel is responsible for one another
Kol Yisrael arevim zeh b’ zeh
When we band together
We can last forever
Kol Yisrael arevim
One by one we’ve been lonesome
Together stand tall
Right now seems unimportant ‘til we remember it all
From Sinai to Babylon
Berlin to the Lower East Side
We share a rich history we can’t afford to hide
CHORUS
When our world is kol arevim
We can worship as one
We feel as we’re family
Each of us, a daughter or son
CHORUS