1. Introduction & Welcome
2. Opening the Issues
   1. Agree-Disagree
   2. Concentric Circles & Brainstorm

1 Welcome

Overall outline of the programme, its scope and purpose (see Foreword); contract on cooperation and respect for all participants, contract on decorum and fair play.

2. Opening the Issues

Purpose:

Ice-breaker - to generate active dynamics for broad participation;
To address some of the issues raised in connection with the disengagement process; through exercises in a more neutral, abstract or historical context;
To generate or brainstorm feelings, questions, issues, as topics on the programme agenda.

A] Agree-Disagree

Below are a series of ideas. The left wall is marked with a sign "Agree" and the right wall is marked "Disagree". There are some new features in the exercise, which is watched and noted by an observer on each side of the room, drawn from members of the group, who receive separate instructions.

Procedure:

The facilitator explains that this is a moving exercise, where participants have to move to the side of the room that more closely represents their opinions, but they may not "vote" one way on one item and contradict it later on.

The facilitator calls out each slogan and participants move to their positions.

The facilitator needs to allow sufficient time for the groups to form at each side, before calling the next slogan.

The observers have a written list of the ideas and note the relative distribution of the group for each idea, paying attention to any inconsistencies.

1. I love Israel
2. I like coffee
3. My family comes first
4. I love school
5. People should eat healthfully
6. Don't judge people by appearances
7. My community/country comes first
8. Politicians can't be trusted
9. I love summer holidays
10. Israel and the Diaspora offer equivalent centres of Jewish life
11. It's OK if you do something wrong, as long as you're not found out
12. Every Jew should visit Israel
13. The future of Diaspora Jewish life is tenuous
14. I don't believe in wearing a seatbelt
15. People should take regular exercise
16. It's OK if you do something illegal, as long as it's minor stuff
17. Some issues are not worth standing up for
18. A red light means stop
17. It's not worth doing something illegal for an idea
18. The law has to be respected.

In a circle:

Observers report how people moved on each issue, and whether there appeared to be any inconsistencies, especially on:

3. My family –> 7. my community/country;
10. Israel/Diaspora –> 13. Diaspora Jewish life;
11. 15. Something wrong/illegal -> 18. law
16. Issues/idea -> 18. law

The facilitator asks participants to offer insights and explanations for these inconsistencies and opens a short discussion about the problems raised and how society addresses them through law.

B] Concentric Circles & Brainstorm

[20 minutes for i]-iv]; 30 minutes]

Procedure:

The facilitator asks if anyone can explain the term, Hitnatkut [explanation can be found on http://www.jafi.org.il/education/actual/conflict/disengagement/1.html ]
The group moves to sit in two concentric circles, in chairs facing each other, so that everyone is opposite a partner.

Inner Circle – A; Outer Circle – B.

- Up to two minutes are allowed for each round of exchange of opinions, equal time for each person to speak, without interruption.
- Participants have to speak on the topic allocated.

This all takes place simultaneously, with all pairs talking at once, at the say-so of the facilitator!

i] Circle A members go first: 30 seconds on, "Why I am for hitnatkut".
Circle B members go second: 30 seconds on, "Why I am against hitnatkut".
Circle B members move one seat to the left, so that new pairs are formed.

ii] Circle B members go first: one minute on, "Why I am for hitnatkut".
Circle A members go second: one minute on "Why I am against hitnatkut".
Circle B members move one seat to the left, so that new pairs are formed.

iii] Circle A members first: one minute on, "My questions about hitnatkut".
Circle B members: one minute on, "My questions about hitnatkut".

Everyone rejoins the main circle.

iv] Clarification & Review:

- Whip round the group in order, with the question, "What did it feel like to go first?"
- Then ask around the group, "How did it feel to offer reasons for an opinion that you don't necessarily hold yourself?"
- Ask for any volunteers to say whether they would like to share any questions that were asked. Write the questions up on poster paper/whiteboard/.

v] Brainstorm

- Everyone is asked to look at all the questions that have been written up and think of other issues that they might wish to raise. [If the group is very large, this can also be done in divided groups of 15, with a facilitator.] These ideas should be added, either by asking everyone, or taking responses as they are offered.

- The facilitator should intervene with gentle encouragement and direction ("What about…?") if any of the following areas are not raised: legislation, law & order, society, unity/division, sin'at hinam (causeless hatred), kol yisrael areivim (all Israel are responsible for one another), rabbinical opinion for & against, politics, diplomacy, national security, tolerance/intolerance, ideology, democracy, free speech/legitimate protest, pikuach nefesh (saving lives), extremism/violence, personal safety, IDF, government, Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel). In addition, some emotional responses (fears, hopes) or questions should appear on the list.

- The ideal outcomes should be a mixture of subjective and objective issues and questions, which is a point that the facilitator can offer, if the initial brainstorming process appears to the facilitator be thorough, and there is a group consensus that this is pretty good picture.

- The facilitator asks if these issues and questions can be organized in an effective way. One method is to organize them into objective and subjective areas and as few sub-categories as possible.

- Finally, this table of areas and sub-categories is introduced as the primary agenda for addressing Hitnatkut.

[Short break]