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From Middletown to the Middle East

~ Reflections on travel and teaching

From Middletown to the Middle East

Tag Archives: religion

An emerging portrait of the schools

06 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by tgilheany in Fulbright project

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Arab education, Israeli schools, religion

From my several conversations so far, a consensus view of Israeli education seems to be coalescing. As one person said, “There is no concept of comparative religions of the German or Northern European model.” The coursework in the regular public schools, if I understand correctly, is based on learning the Jewish Bible, with some Talmud and later commentary coming in the high school years. Christianity is encountered in history, and it is not a positive encounter – much of it being the story of anti-Semitism. Islam might come up a bit in history or if one chooses to take Arabic as one’s third language. Otherwise, very little about other religions is taught. Meanwhile the religious schools’ curriculum is even less cosmopolitan. Those with whom I have spoken describe a system they view as not even preparing students for gainful employment, in the case of some ultra-Orthodox schools. Even in religious schools with a broader mission, they say, a narrow religio-nationalistic superiority is frequently taught.

So far, no-one who I have met has even commented on the curriculum or on what is actually taught in the Palestinian Territories. One person commented, “Well, I wonder if they’ll tell you the truth. They’re not very well going to say, ‘We teach Islamic fundamentalism.’” A few seem to have implied that the schools teaching in Arabic in Israel do a good job on cross-cultural and cross-religious issues, or at least they have praised some administrators they know. I have just read, however, a scathing critique of how both the Israeli schools and the Arabic language schools teach about Arab and especially Palestinian issues. Ismael Abu-Saad, a professor at Ben Gurion University, wrote “State Educational Policy and Curriculum: The case of Palestinian Arabs in Israel” in 2006. As he summarizes, “This study demonstrates how Israeli educational policy and curriculum are designed to support the Jewish nation-building project. As such, they silence the Palestinian Arab narrative while reshaping regional history for both Jewish and Arab students to fit the Zionist narrative.” He does not address studying belief systems per se in the paper, but he does describe curricular lists from the Arab and Hebrew-speaking schools. He notes that both teach the Zionist interpretation of historical events. More concerning from my perspective is the portrait of the Israeli textbooks he cites from Prof. Elie Podeh of Hebrew University. Prof. Podeh wrote The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Israeli History Textbooks 1948-2000. The picture is not pretty – lots of bias and omission. At the same time, I have not yet read anything about what the textbooks in the West Bank sound like…

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Effective, efficient non-profit director

05 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by tgilheany in Fulbright project

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Israeli peace activist, non-profit administration, religion

Today, thanks to Nimrod Goren I got to speak with Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish, the Director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel. The Council does remarkable work, bringing Jewish, Christian and Muslim youth together to learn about their different traditions. As their mission states, they aim “to harness the teachings and values of the three monotheistic religions” and use them as “a source of reconciliation and co-existence.”

Rabbi Kronish wasted absolutely no time. He certainly gives the lie to the canard that non-profit folks are inefficient and disorganized compared to their business counterparts. He came to understand my project, its developing aims and its limitations, rapidly and began firing thoughts of people that would help me. “This person speaks good English and works with teachers of Islam.” “This organization trains teachers in Jewish education, and their direct is from the U.S.” From an inexhaustible rolodex he unearthed multiple business cards, turning to his computer when his paper system failed him. I was tired when I left, despite having had time before and after and having been largely passive. He, however, had a meeting immediately before and I’m sure was off to another. “Building Peace through Interreligious Reconciliation, Education and Action,” the organization’s motto, certainly has a chance with someone of such energy and capability at its helm.

I also got to meet Mr. Ophir Yarden, who is the director of education. In the few moments we had together I gave him the elevator pitch, and he immediately had his ideas and responses. I hope to have a chance to stay in touch with him.

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  • Jericho – my good and bad calls
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