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 basketball player and coach Nancy Lieberman, and son and professional basketball player TJ Cline, 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.