JUDAISM &
RELATED
TOPICS
A Resource Guide
• Contact a local synagogue directly. (You can find where synagogues are by searching online.)
• Contact your local SACRE (Each LEA has a SACRE committee with a Jewish representative on it) to see if they can help you find a local synagogue who would offer a visit.
• Contact your local SACRE (each LEA in England and Wales has a SACRE committee, with a Jewish representative on it) to see if they can help you find a speaker/Jewish visitor. SACRE contact details can be found here: SACRE contacts and annual reports database – NASACRE. Contact Email Anna Silver, Education Officer if you need help.
• Contact your nearest Jewish Representative Council who could (hopefully) point you in the direction of speakers or local Jewish community members who would be happy to speak to students. There are Jewish Representative Councils/bodies for: Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester and regions, London, Hull, Liverpool, South Wales, Newcastle, Wales, Sussex, Northern Ireland, Hertfordshire, Essex, Scotland. (Let me know if you cannot find their contact details.)
• The RE Hubs website has school speakers listed by region. Everyone listed on there has done a short course to gain an accreditation - School speakers – RE Hubs
•School synagogue visits request form – Jewish Small Communities Network
This is a request form you can fill in to find someone to talk to your students about Judaism locally to you. Some of the educators you would be put in touch with are professional but many are volunteers. Some work in person and some are also happy to do zoom if they are not very close by. Some charge, some don’t. This is set up by SJCN -The Small Jewish Communities Network.
Disclaimer - The Board of Deputies has not checked and approved all of these educators and cannot guarantee their competence or that they will give you a broad view of all the different practice within the UK Jewish community.
NB: For speakers and educators on Israel, Holocaust and antisemitism please see the relevant sections further down.
• Jewish Museum London – The building is closed but the museum still offers:
School workshops (in person and virtual)
Outreach sessions in schools
Online learning portal
‘Inclusive Judaism’ image library – images are free for teachers to use)
Object loan boxes
Teacher CPD sessions
More details found here - Jewish Museum London school programme 2025 PDF
• Manchester Jewish Museum - Manchester Jewish Museum
• The National Holocaust Centre and Museum, Nottingham (formally known as Beth Shalom) - The National Holocaust Centre and Museum
• Holocaust Centre North, Huddersfield - Holocaust Centre North
Leicester - Jewish Leicester heritage website
Glasgow - Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre
House of Life Heritage Centre at Willesden Jewish Cemetery, London - Schools programme – Willesden Jewish Cemetery House of Life - Educational experiences for secondary schools and students, including both onsite and outreach sessions. ‘Stories from the Cemetery’ and ‘Death and Symbolism’. Workshops, object handling, guided walks and outreach.
Coming soon: Merthyr Tydfil - Jewish Heritage Wales
Coming soon: Foundation visits Medieval Norwich – Foundation for Jewish Heritage
About Celebrating Jewish Archives
JTrails – National Anglo-Jewish Heritage Trail
Cardiff Jewish heritage – Jewish Heritage Wales
York history trails – History of York
The Treasures – Celebrating Jewish Archives
Jewish Heritage Trail – Visit Lincoln
Medieval Jewish Trail – Visit Winchester
• The Jewish Museum London loans out boxes of handling objects: Object loan boxes – Jewish Museum London
• The Board of Deputies of British Jews’ JLEE (Jewish Living Experience Exhibition) travelling exhibition is made up of 15 banners and 9 boxes of handling objects. It can be borrowed with no charge by LEAs, SACREs, communities, organisations etc. Contact Email Anna Silver, Education Officer
• Scottish Council of Jewish communities loans out handling objects: Joe’s Boxes – Scottish Council of Jewish Communities
• The North East Religious Learning Resources Centre (RRC): The largest Religious Resources Centre in England. Lends out resources, exhibitions, runs training etc. North East Religious Learning Resources Centre
Regional hubs across England and Wales, which has been set up to improve connections and interactions between different parts of the RE/RVE, enabling teachers to teach with greater confidence through their access to the support, knowledge, training and resources available in their nation/region. Contact the Hub leader for your region - RE Hubs
• The Board of Deputies of British Jews’ free, digital resource for secondary schools – Jewish Living Online
(Jewish Living Online). Covers the origins of Judaism, kosher food, the calendar of festival, Shabbat, lifecycle events, streams of Judaism, ethics, Torah & texts and the synagogue. It is flexible to support your current schemes of work etc.
Please note that this can be used by anyone for general info/subject knowledge!
• Voices from Jewish worldview traditions – RE:ONLINE
• BBC provide overviews and resources for all Key Stages:
Judaism key facts – BBC Bitesize KS3 - KS3 Key facts about Judaism
Judaism topics and festivals – BBC Bitesize KS2 - various topics and festivals for KS2
Judaism resources – BBC Bitesize KS1 - the synagogue, caring and Shabbat
Judaism resources – BBC Bitesize GCSE - GCSE
• Unpacked YouTube channel – videos on various topics
• Info about many elements of Judaism written by a Jewish SACRE rep -Introduction to Judaism – ICJudaism
Books on Judaism (general):
• Lawton, Clive - Judaism GCSE Religious Studies – The Definitive Resource
Judaism GCSE Religious Studies – The Definitive Resource
• Rabbi Blech, R. The Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Judaism
• Blatner, David and Rabbi Ted Falcon, Judaism for Dummies
• Jacobs, Louis, The Book of Jewish Belief, Behrman House
• Jacobs, Louis, The Book of Jewish Practice, Behrman House
• Syme, Daniel B. The Jewish Home: A Guide for Jewish Living
• Rabbi Greenberg, Yitz, The Jewish Way
• Brown, A. Festivals in World religions
• Cole, O, World Faiths in Education
• Druker, M. The family Treasury of Jewish Faiths
• Fisher, A. My Jewish Year
• Forta, A. Examining Religions: Judaism
• Gross, D.C. 1001 Questions and Answers about Judaism
• Kalman, S. Celebrating the Jewish Holidays
• Lawton, C. Themes in Religion: Judaism
• Teece, G. The Primary Teacher’s Guide to Religious Education
• Encyclopaedia Judaica
• Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and Rituals (Updated in 2016) by George Robinson
• Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition and Practice (Reprinted in 2010) by Wayne Dosick
• Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know about the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History (Updated in 2008) by Joseph Telushkin
British Jewish history:
• Jewish Britain: A History in 50 Objects – Jewish Museum London - Each object tells a story about the history of the Jewish community in Britain from medieval to modern times.
• The Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre - aims to make it as easy for Secondary school teachers to integrate Jewish history into their existing teaching:
Resources - Resources for history teachers – Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre
In person workshops - School courses – Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre
Online sessions - Free school sessions – Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre
Sir Martin Gilbert History Prize – Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre
• The Board of Deputies of British Jews’ free, digital resource for secondary schools – Jewish Living Online
(Jewish Living Online). Includes modules on Jewish History and Jewish British History.
(Please note that for schools in Scotland, coming soon there is Jewish Living Online Scotland containing information about Scottish Jewish History.)
Jewish history (general):
Unpacked YouTube channel – a variety of videos on Jewish history and migration around the world.
• Jewish Living Online - The Board of Deputies’ free online resource aimed at secondary schools contains a module on Israel and Zionism, including a timeline through history.
• Israel curriculum – CAMERA Education Institute - CAMERA Education Institute (CEI) is part of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA). They offer free curricula on Israel, Zionism and the Arab Israeli conflict.
•Learning resources – Solutions Not Sides - resources for teachers
• Israel-Palestine vocab guide – Solutions Not Sides PDF – glossary of relevant words
• History of Zionism timeline – Jewish Agency archive - text on the History of Zionism – timeline
• Teaching the Arab-Israeli Conflict – Institute for Curriculum Services - Free, five-lesson curriculum on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Explores the history of the conflict and peace process. With an emphasis on primary sources, ICS’s resources are teacher-friendly and formatted to be easily implemented in the classroom.
• Israel and Palestine resources – Parallel Histories
• Israel teaching resources – Teach for Tomorrow
(formerly known as Facing History)
• Toolkit for Christian Reflection on Israel-Palestine PDF created by The Council for Christian and Jews.
• Solutions Not Sides - Solutions not Sides is a neutral organisation, aiming to tackle antisemitism, Islamophobia and polarisation around the issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict in the UK. Brings Israeli and Palestinian speakers to the UK to speak to school groups. Workshops for students, teacher training and the olive branch project.
• MEEDU – Middle East Education MEEDU offer free in-person or on zoom workshops and talks, delivered by a Jew and a Muslim together, to KS4 and 5 students in schools and colleges, plus youth groups across the UK.
• Explore UK – StandWithUs – An Israel advocacy organisation offering a range of (free) workshops about Israel available for 6th form students or teachers: Contact Email Yehuda at StandWithUs UK
• http://www.foi-asg.org/asg-home.php - ‘Academic Study Group on Israel and the Middle East’ - offers introductory talks on Israel and the Middle East to secondary and 6th Form groups. Contact Email John Levy at the Academic Study Group on Israel and the Middle East
• Letting Go of Hate resources – The Rabbi Sacks Legacy – A four-unit Key Stage 4 curriculum on the dangers of antisemitism, endorse by the DfE via Educate against hate (Letting Go of Hate: a PSHE curriculum on antisemitism – Educate Against Hate)
• Safe to Learn: Addressing Antisemitism in UK Schools – Rise 360 course – an online course specifically for school leaders and teachers, addressing antisemitism in safeguarding policies and procedures and focusing on: Reporting and responding to antisemitism, Training and awareness-raising, Support for pupils and their participation in safeguarding.
• Skills for Dialogue – The Faith & Belief Forum - A suite of online resources to support RE/Humanities/PSHE teaching in the classroom, for both Primary and secondary schools.
• Antisemitism resources – Teach for Tomorrow - antisemitism resources (formerly known as Facing History)
• Lesson plans on discrimination, antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred – HMDT and Stand Up! PDF – HMDT in partnership with Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination created lesson plans and resources to teach about discrimination and antisemitism (and anti-Muslim hatred). Suitable for secondary school age pupils.
• Teachers’ guide to antisemitism – Antisemitism.org - a free teachers handbook and accompanying powerpoint presentation to educate about and try to tackle antisemitism. 3 versions available for non-denominational, CofE and Roman Catholic schools.
• Article with photos and videos on the 7 classic tropes of antisemitism from ADL:
Antisemitism Uncovered – ADL..
The videos are also available on youtube – search for ‘antisemitism uncovered’
• CST publications and reports - stats and reports on antisemitism in the UK
• CST educational resources on antisemitism - educational resources
• Rabbi Sacks on the Mutation of Antisemitism – YouTube video – 5 minute animated video
• Antisemitism: From Its Origins to the Present – FutureLearn course - online course for teachers with certification
• Education programme – UK Jewish Film - Using the power of film, workshops are run in schools by a qualified teacher, aiming to combat antisemitism and racism and improve dialogue and understanding between faith communities, etc. (Free of charge, aimed at KS4-5)
• Improving school staff knowledge and confidence around anti-racism – Anna Freud – List of books, videos and articles that educators can use to explore and develop their racial literacy.
• About Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination - StandUp! Is an anti-discrimination interfaith project - interactive workshops led by Jewish & Muslim educators who model a partnership of collaboration.
•UK learning events – Facing History & Ourselves - facing history run various teacher CPD events and courses and have resources on their website
• - offers a variety of tours, workshops and talks covering a variety of themes including prejudice and discrimination
Countering Antisemitism - Discover the evolution of the hatred of Jews since the Roman era, and try to understand what is legitimate criticism of Israel and when it crosses the line into antisemitism.
Free. Contact Email Yehuda at StandWithUs UK
• The Board of Deputies of British Jews - Board of Deputies of British Jews (Official representative body for the entire UK Jewish community to the government, media and for education etc.)
•The Pinter Trust – representing and educating about the various Haredi communities in the UK: The Pinter Trust
• United Synagogue (modern Orthodox): United Synagogue
• Chabad (Ultra Orthodox): Chabad UK
• Federation of Synagogues (modern Orthodox): Federation of Synagogues
• Humanist Judaism: Humanistic Judaism UK
• Progressive Judaism UK - Progressive Judaism UK (Liberal and Reform Judaism combined)
• Masorti Judaism: Masorti Judaism
• Sephardi Judaism UK: Sephardi Judaism UK
• Office of the Chief Rabbi (Orthodox) - Office of the Chief Rabbi