Israel: Land of Strife, Land of Promise

Israel: Land of Strife, Land of Promise, or 3,000 Years in 30 Minutes or Less. To be fair, most of the focus here is on the modern state of Israel (established 1948), but the short running time severely limits this tape's usefulness. Key concepts, vocabulary and players whiz by in such rapid succession that students will feel as dizzy as if they've just danced the horah at top speed. Worse, with a time frame spanning King David's reign to the present, certain key points have been left out, such as the Jewish belief that God gave Moses and their people the land of Canaan forever. Too, viewers are told that Medieval European persecutions took place because the Jews were "different," not that it was a Catholic holy war sanctioned against "Christ killers." Finally, while the PLO is discussed, the tragic 1972 assassination of Jewish athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics isn't mentioned. The irony here is that the teacher's guide might be more worthwhile than the tape itself. With a map, activity sheets, vocabulary, and the entire script (which could be broken down and studied more intensively), the printed resource is great. However, buying a video for the guide alone makes for one expensive curriculum aid. Optional. Aud: J, H, C. (R. Reagan)