Resources

BRING KALEIDOSCOPE STORIES ALIVE INTO YOUR CLASSROOM

Kaleidoscope stories open a window into Jewish life—then and now—offering powerful, personal perspectives that spark reflection and conversation in both formal and informal educational settings.

Whether you're a school teacher, madricha, or a youth leader, you'll find ready-to-use resources here based on contemporary Kaleidoscope stories (from 2023 onward) and original stories from the 1930s. These materials are designed to help you create meaningful, thought-provoking sessions and activities with your learners.

Explore the three sections below:

Stories and Questions

Discover seven short, compelling story excerpts paired with discussion questions to encourage deep thinking and dialogue.

Lesson Plans

Find clear guides for leading a writing workshop or an interactive story-based discussion.

Story Planning Tools

Use creative prompts, reflection questions, and planning ideas to help participants shape and share their own stories.

Let these stories spark new conversations—and new storytellers.

We hope you will find these materials helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us.

Stories and questions

We have listed below seven stories, two of them are from the original YIVO collection and five of them are part of the Kaleidoscope contemporary collection. In each section you can download a summary of the story and questions for discussion.

Finding community in peculiar places

At finde fællesskab de mærkeligste steder

2024 | Being Jewish in the world | Danish | English | Family | Young adult programmes | Youth camp | Youth movement

Written by: Degania Laura S

Source language: English

Translation language: Danish

Precis: Hayati, like many other young Palestinians in Denmark, understands the feeling of not fully fitting in – therefore she doesn’t expect me to.

Questions for discussion Story Summary

Israel: My Roots and my Wings

Israël: Mes Racines et mes Ailes

2024 | Antisemitism | French | Future Jewish career | Israel | War in Israel

Written by: Deborah H

Source language: French

Translation language: English

Precis: I will not resign myself to accepting that the only lessons of this dark year are reduced to the disbelief, horror, and shock of the first day. I want to believe that something exists that surpasses these initial emotions, and that it is incumbent upon me to discover.

Questions for discussion Story Summary

My move from Israel to the Netherlands

המעבר שלי מישראל להולנד

2024 | Antisemitism | Being Jewish in the world | English | Family | Hebrew | Immigration | Israel | Multiple identities | Russian | War in Israel

Written by: Daniel F

Source language: Hebrew

Translation language: English

Precis: Whether I stay in the Netherlands or return to Israel, I will maintain my connection to Judaism. I want to start a Jewish family, pass on to my children the Hebrew language, the Jewish tradition and values. I will teach them how to keep themselves as Jews and deal with anti-Semitism, as the Jewish people have done throughout history.

Questions for discussion Story Summary

My dream

Mon rêve

2024 | Antisemitism | Family | French | Jewish rituals | Religious and secular affiliations | War in Israel | Youth camp | Youth movement

Written by: Lena B

Source language: French

Translation language: English

Precis: I am 8 and my father made me act in front of the family after Shabbat dinner. I'm 12 and I do my Bat Mitzvah. I'm 14 and I'm wondering about the existence of God. I'm 16 and I fall in love with a boy who isn't Jewish.

Questions for discussion Story Summary

Once a Shomer, always a Shomer

Egyszer shomer, mindig shomer

2024 | Being Jewish in the world | Family | Future Jewish career | Hungarian | Immigration | Jewish rituals | Multiple identities | Youth movement

Written by: Andris

Source language: Hungarian

Translation language: English

Precis: While many people can recall a precise moment that profoundly defined or shaped their Jewishness, there was no such moment in my life. From the moment of my birth, with my first breath of air, I was immersed in the Hungarian Jewish atmosphere that has shaped my way of thinking and my system of values to this day.

Questions for discussion Story Summary
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Book of my autobiography

בוך פון מיין אוטאביאגראפיע

Written by: Forget Me Not

Source language: Yiddish

Translation language: English

Precis: A shoemaker's son. Life in a small town. Kheyder. The family moves. Illness and recovery. Public school. Studying the violin. Work as a musician. Economic woes. Fitting in.

Questions for discussion Story Summary

Autobiography

אוטו-ביאגראפיע

Written by: Forget Me Not

Source language: Yiddish

Translation language: English

Precis: Parental squabbles. A Jewish public school. Desecrating the Sabbath. Mother's early death. Joining an illegal political party. Life in a day orphanage. Chronic illness and a TOZ sanatorium. Working in a pharmacy. A dwindling family. Political disillusionment. Trade union activism.

Questions for discussion Story Summary

Lesson Plans

Ready to bring Kaleidoscope stories to life in your classroom or youth group? We've got you covered with two inspiring lesson plans.

These lessons are easy to use, flexible to adapt, and full of opportunities for connection and discovery.

Lesson Plan 1

Write Your Story

Guide participants through a creative, reflective journey to craft and share their own Jewish story—past or present, big or small.

Lesson Plan 2

Meet Some Fantastically Real Young European Jews

Dive into powerful, real-life stories from across Europe and spark meaningful conversations about identity, heritage, and what it means to be young and Jewish today.

Story planning Tools

You can download here the A4 printable templates to help your students plan their story

Kaleidoscope is a project of the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe

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