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The Origins and Dangers of Scapegoating
For Jewish Schools
By Nance Morris Adler
Introduction
In difficult times, humans have a tendency to assign blame rather than accept responsibility for their own situation.
The one who is assigned blame is often made to suffer as a punishment for their perceived wrongs. This does not
serve to remedy the original problem.
Essential Questions
1.
Have you ever been wrongly blamed for something so that someone else could escape the consequences of
their behavior?
2.
What is the origin of the term “scapegoat?”
3.
Does having a scapegoat solve the problem?
4.
What is the difference between “blame” and “responsibility?”
5.
What happens when one group in a society is blamed for the problems of the larger society?
6.
What is the connection between bullying and scapegoating?
7.
How do we work to prevent innocent people from becoming scapegoats?
TUNING IN - Essential Question 1
You can use a variety of activities to introduce this concept to the students. You could do a “Think-Pair-Share” to
engage all the students in the brainstorming or do a more general discussion and brainstorming activity. I would
not give the name of the unit or introduce the term scapegoat prior to this Tuning In activity. See if it comes up on
its own.
Questions
:
Have they ever been made to take the blame for something that they did not do?
What did that feel like? Did it solve the problem?
Why do they think people assign blame or try to avoid taking responsibility?
