Classroom Resources on Conflict in Israel and Gaza
Since October 2023, the armed conflict that has been waged between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has claimed the lives of more than 26,000 people, with over 62,000 injured and 1.7 million Gazans internally displaced (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – January 21, 2024). As a community of Mercy, we are shocked and saddened by the horrific violence and lack of humanitarian relief; as a community of educators, we are challenged to find ways to help our students process all that they are seeing and hearing in the news in ways that are age-appropriate, faithful to our Catholic identity and to the Mercy charism, and respectful of the many faiths and nationalities that are represented in our school communities. Please find below several suggested resources to consider for your school communities. We welcome your help in growing this list. Please contact us at mercyedu@sistersofmercy.org if you have suggestions of educational and/or spiritual resources to add.
Mercy Education is grateful to Merion Mercy Academy for compiling and sharing the following resources which address the Israel-Hamas War.
Learning for Justice: Discussing War and Conflict – Resources for Educators, Parents and Caregivers. Particularly helping are the following classroom and lesson resources:
- A broad collection of lessons and social-emotional resources from the San Diego County Office of Education.
- Support for Classroom Discussion on the Hamas-Israel War from the Institute for Curriculum Services
- A Mini-Lesson from Facing History and Ourselves
Resources from the Sisters of Mercy and Mercy Education
- Statement: Sisters of Mercy leaders condemn violence, call for peace in Israel and Gaza
- Resources on Critical Concern for Nonviolence
- Action Alerts – The Mercy Justice Team regularly invites advocates to call for a ceasefire in Gaza by encouraging them to reach out to the U.S. Congress and the Biden administration.
- A Time to Break Silence – A reflection on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Palestinian-Israel conflict, written by Lamar Bailey, Director, Institute Justice Team, and Jean Stokan, Justice coordinator.
Additional resources
- Education Week: How to Talk About the Israel-Hamas War: Resources for Educators.
- Jesuit Resources: Prayers for Peace in the Middle East
- World Relief: Prayer for peace in Israel and Gaza
