Newcombe showed a power point slide show about Judaism and we learned about the different types. This was very good information to prepare us for The Color of Water, which has religious references coming out the wazoo. It also referred to Christianity so that the readers could compare not only that, but the two lives that Rachel/Ruth lived.
Also with Christianity, we learned about True Christians and Convenient Store Christians and how to tell the difference with characters while reading. This was a fun exercise especially with "My Antonia."