Fair Play, Full Hearts: Jewish Identity and Belonging in Sports

GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School

While sports often bring people together, they can just as easily lead to incidents of bias. Through the lens of a recorded ADL webinar with retired professional baseball player Kevin Youkilis and student athlete Morgan Zietz, students will explore Jewish identity through exploring experiences of athletes. Using a freely chosen picture book that explores similar themes, students will explore identity and ways to ensure that school athletics are inclusive for all.

In this activity, students will:

• Develop a basic definition of identity.
• Reflect upon the experiences of two athletes on Jewish pride and identity.
• Explore ideas around identity, belonging and inclusion in sports through a selected book and discussion.
• Apply their learning (and Calendar of Observances, grades 3-5) to create visible reminders around the school that celebrate inclusion of all identity groups.