The Covenant Grants

The Creation of Accompanying Educational Materials for the Jewish Version of The Science of Character Film

Organization: Let it Ripple, San Francisco, CA

Grant Year: 2014

Project Director: Tiffany Shlain

Type of Grant: Signature

Grant Amount: $45,000 (1 year)

Website: http://www.letitripple.org/

Arts and Culture
Film

To fund the production, distribution, and outreach of educational and discussion materials (including conversation cards, discussion guide, and educational guides for different ages) to accompany a Jewish version of its 8-minute film The Science of Character, reframed through the lens of the Mussar movement, a Jewish ethical, educational, and cultural movement, developed in 19th century Eastern Europe, particularly among Orthodox Lithuanian Jews.

The Science of Character is an 8 minute film that explores the social science and neuroscience on how we can shape and develop who we are. Through this project, this film was reframed through the lens of the Jewish Mussar movement and a new film was created, The Making of a Mensch. This film will be accompanied by both online and hands-on discussion and educational materials that dive into how to build our character through Jewish teachings. The package and online resources will all be free for educators, temples, synagogues, families, anyone inside or outside of the Jewish community interested in exploring character development. The discussion materials will be catered to different ages: elementary, Bat Mitzvah, high school, and college/adult, and the film would also be translated into Hebrew.