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Text Study: Growing Rifts

  1. Divide your class into three groups. Give each group a different document to read and discuss. (If you have a larger class, have multiple groups examine each of the documents.)
  2. Have your students read the documents out loud in their groups and discuss the related Discussion Questions. Each group should be prepared to present their document using the Sharing Outline provided in their discussion guide.
  3. After the groups have read and discussed their documents, call them back together. Have each group present its document by sharing its answers to the following questions. (Group members can take turns answering questions; if multiple groups have the same document, ask them to come up together or split the questions below between them.)
    • Who wrote it? What audience was it written for? When was it written?
    • Share a twitter length summary of their document.
    • What was something in the document that seemed shocking?
    • What was something in the document that seems relevant today?
    • What was something in the document that no longer seems relevant today?
    After hearing the presenting group's responses, invite the other students to ask one to three additional questions of the presenting group.
  4. Guide the class in drawing (preliminary) conclusions based on what they have just learned from the three presentations. Review the following:
    • What were the areas of contention between Jews and African Americans and how did they manifest themselves?
    • What historical and social conditions moved Jews and African Americans towards different approaches to civil rights?
    • How did Jewish and African American feelings about their respective roles in the Civil Rights Movement change during this period?
    • Discuss: We have read the opinions of three people so far. Do you imagine these documents represent the majority opinion at that time? Why or why not? How can we know?

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Text Study: Growing Rifts." (Viewed on August 21, 2014) <>.


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