New Objectives for Ancient Poems: Using piyyût in the “Songs and Roots” (Širim wě-šorâšim) Elementary School Program to Instill Love of the Homeland

Abstract

Teaching love of the homeland is a component of patriotism instilled in schools primarily through informal, experiential, enjoyable and meaningful learning that elicits the emotions. Here, I show how piyyût – religious Jewish poetry – can be used to inspire students to loving their country, and evoke strong emotions. I suggest that this can be done by harnessing three characteristics of piyyût: the religious response, affinity and familiarity; and the power of art. This involves the use of figurative speech to describe characters and events through scenic imagery, music and song to create experiential learning sparking beauty and joy. These are illustrated by examples from the “Songs and Roots” (Širim wě-šorâšim) program that has been successfully applied in Israeli state and state-religious elementary schools since 2005.