Jewish/Arab Education in Israel
In support of Jewish and Arab co-existence in Israel, both sectors will soon be required to learn about the other’s culture, history, beliefs and heritage, from pre-school to the 12th grade, according to Haaretz, Israel’s oldest daily newspaper. The decision was supported by the Education Minister and a government committee established to explore the topic of fostering democracy and egalitarianism via education.
The program hopes to “develop dialogue skills between [both] sides and reduce negative stereotypes and prejudices.” The committee determined that students will learn about each other’s “collective narrative in the context of granting respect and legitimacy to that narrative, without necessarily agreeing with it.” These powerful, proactive moves may prove fruitful when moral relativism is substituted by a sensitivity to history, customs, language, religion, areas that are collectively known as culture. Much like a previous post on integrating ethnic minorities into mainstream French schools, this committee also wants to modify the student body’s of schools to contain both Jewish and Arab teachers and students. The synergy of a heterogeneous group could lead to a greater tolerance for not only Arab culture, but for diversity in general.
