Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Year 5 students are reflecting on the qualities of Prophetic Leadership and their own leadership journey as they look towards Year 6 and being the leaders of Primary School. A prophet, in Hebrew נָבִיא is connected to ideas of calling our, announcing or proclaiming. We have learnt that prophets are leaders who ‘call out’ injustices in the word and ‘call upon’ people to act and change. Prophets speak truth to power and are the changemakers of their time.  

In addition to learning about some of the prophets of ancient Israel, students will be making connections to our world today and contemporary issues. In thinking back to last term’s project Knowing You Changes Me, students identified the following people as displaying prophetic leadership – ‘calling out’ injustices and ‘calling upon’ people to act:

• Adam Goodes
• Martin Luther King Junior
• Greta Thunberg
• Rosa Parks
• Malala Yousafzai
• Emma Watson
• Ruth Bader Ginsberg

In thinking about issues in our world today that prophets may identify as requiring urgent action, students identified the following:

• Climate change
• Racism
• Gender equality
• Poverty
• Homelessness

הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם מַה־טּוֹב וּמָה־יְהֹוָה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם־עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶיךָ׃ 

“You have been told what is good and what Adonai requires of you
Only to do justice
And to love goodness
And to work modestly with your God”
Micah 6:8.