Guide

Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life Viewing Guide

This guide provides a framework for using the documentary film Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life as a tool for teaching about antisemitism.

Subject

Civics & Citizenship
History
Social Studies

Language

English — US

Updated

April 27, 2023

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Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life Viewing Guide

Date of Publication: April 2023

Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life is a film that documents the powerful community response to hate and antisemitism in the aftermath of the deadly attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The film follows survivors, families of the victims, diverse community members, participants, and civic leaders for three years as they examine their vulnerabilities and the impact of rising antisemitism, racism, hate speech, and gun violence.

This guide provides a framework for using the film and can be used with multiple audiences: educators, students, or a larger school community. It is arranged in four sections: Background, Previewing, Viewing, and Post-Viewing.

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Facing History & Ourselves, “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life Viewing Guide”, last updated April 27, 2023.

Lesson

Students start with the universal and move to the particular to learn about conflation as a manifestation of antisemitism.

A broken window is seen at the center of the Jewish community in Rostock, Northern Germany

Lesson

Students deepen their understanding of the diversity and complexity of Jewish life in pre-war North Africa through an analysis of images, film, and readings.

A wedding portrait of family from the wedding of Terese and Nachum Cohen.

Lesson

Explore how power structures established through the European colonization of North African countries influenced the fate of North African Jewry during the Holocaust and ways in which individuals and groups responded to rising antisemitism.

A German soldier poses atop of a tank. The inscription reads, "From Tripoli German tanks went on their way to the front against England".

Lesson

Students learn the importance of teaching the history of the Holocaust’s impacts on North African communities with a focus on ways in which they resisted oppression.

A group of boys gather in the Los Arenas camp. One boy stands in the middle holding a rock over his head while others look at him.

Collection

Explore resources that meet the California History–Social Science Framework standards.

Four students sit in a circle in conversation. The student in the center speaks with their hands raised.

Collection

Explore resources that meet the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework.

Students working in groups in a classroom

Lesson

Students explore Islamophobic tropes, their troubled history, their evolution and their present manifestation in further depth, and consider the harm that their circulation can cause.

Picture of students working in a classroom.

Lesson

Students reflect on how Islamophobia manifests in the media and in the entertainment industry, and the potential consequences of being exposed to Islamophobic content.

Photograph of student in uniform working on a worksheet in class

Lesson

Students learn how Islamophobia intersects with misogyny and the impact that this has on the treatment of Muslim women.

Lesson

Students reflect on the impact of Islamophobia on Muslims’ sense of belonging, consider what can be done to foster integration, and explore ways in which they and others can challenge Islamophobia.

Picture of high school students smiling.

Unit

This unit examines attempts to integrate Little Rock Central High School in 1957. It explores the impact of the choices of the Little Rock Nine as well as those of leaders, the media, and community members.

The "Little Rock Nine" form a study group after being prevented from entering Little Rock's racially segregated Central High School, 13th September 1957.

Unit

This unit is designed to help students in the UK reflect on how Islamophobia manifests in contemporary society and what needs to be done to challenge it.

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Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life Viewing Guide

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Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life Viewing Guide

Download a PDF of This Free Viewing Guide

How to Cite This Guide

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Antisemitic Conflation: What Is the Impact of Conflating All Jews with the Actions and Policies of the Israeli Government?

Pre-War Jewish Life in North Africa

Responses to Rising Antisemitism and Antisemitic Legislation in North Africa

The Holocaust and North Africa: Resistance in the Camps

Resources for Civic Education in California

Resources for Civic Education in Massachusetts

Exploring Islamophobic Tropes

Addressing Islamophobia in the Media

Understanding Gendered Islamophobia

Standing Up Against Contemporary Islamophobia

Choices in Little Rock Unit

Discussing Contemporary Islamophobia in the Classroom

Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life Viewing Guide

Subject

Language

Updated

Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life Viewing Guide

Download a PDF of This Free Viewing Guide

Access the Classroom Version of the Film

How to Cite This Guide

You might also be interested in…

Antisemitic Conflation: What Is the Impact of Conflating All Jews with the Actions and Policies of the Israeli Government?

Pre-War Jewish Life in North Africa

Responses to Rising Antisemitism and Antisemitic Legislation in North Africa

The Holocaust and North Africa: Resistance in the Camps

Resources for Civic Education in California

Resources for Civic Education in Massachusetts

Exploring Islamophobic Tropes

Addressing Islamophobia in the Media

Understanding Gendered Islamophobia

Standing Up Against Contemporary Islamophobia

Choices in Little Rock Unit

Discussing Contemporary Islamophobia in the Classroom

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