Last week, Education Minister Yoav Kisch (Likud) made a decision that state schools must have mandatory Tanach studies throughout the school year in all grades beginning from second grade.
Until now, principals of schools were allowed to choose how to spread the hours over the course of the year so that Tanach could be taught for even only one semester, but now Kisch added Tanach to the core subjects such as math and English which are required to be taught throughout the year.
That evening, the topic was discussed on The Patriots talk show on Channel 14 News, Israel’s version of Fox News, hosted by Yinon Magal. The guest on the show that night was Avi Shushan, the spokesperson for Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
Shushan said: “My son is in first grade in a state school, not a religious school like I attended, and I’m ashamed that he doesn’t have even one class on basic concepts of Yahadus.”
“I take him to shul but it’s a struggle until he’ll agree to come. He doesn’t know what a siddur is and what Shema Yisrael is. A child in first grade in a school here in the State of Israel – doesn’t know the basics. He has classes on the climate and music…a generation of ignoramuses is being raised here.”
TV host Magal said: “I’m Shomer Shabbat but I grew up in a secular home. I’m not super religious but I would never send my children these days to a state school. How can you do that to your children? They won’t know anything!”
Panel member Yotam Zimri said: “I went to a state school a long time ago and I also didn’t know what a siddur or Shema Yisrael was. It’s not something new. For dozens of years, the State of Israel made sure that children won’t have a Jewish foundation because they’re scared of it. Kol HaKavod to Yoav Kisch and whoever paid attention to the fact that the children of Israel need a little Yahadus.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
לא בחנם אומרים הרבי מסטמאר היה צדק
Boruch Hashem they’re bringing this up
Besides schools parents need to teach yiddishkeit
You can’t just rely on the school
Would not help him if he knew it they think it’s only another praise is the Israeli army
Ribono Shel Olom, Look! We are going to come back! Bring us Moshiach already! You’re people deserve it!
The host is right. You’re complaining on the one hand that the Israeli public schools are broken. Yet, on the other hand you still send your kids there. What is he thinking? He has no one to blame but himself.
רק סאטמר ונטורי קרתא אומרים את זה.
Yoav Kish seems to be a hero. Education ministers (even religious ones) ever since the founding of the so called “Jewish” state repeatedly refused to introduce jewish studies in secular schools for the fear of being attacked for religious coercion.
Lehavdil, In most countries around the world there is officially some religious education, only in the “Jewish” state you are not allowed to teach Judaism!
There are so many streams of free or nearly free education available in Israel. There are religious public schools (Mamad), nearly entirely subsidized yeshiva elementary schools (talmud torah), full on chadarim with minimal secular education (cheder) and everything in between.
I agree that kids in secular public schools should have some religious/cultural education. Most secular public schools, especially at the high school level, have very basic classes in tanach, biblical figures, and even the basics of torah sheba’al peh. Do I wish these people understood and appreciated more of their religious heritage? Absolutely. But forcing it on public schools is not the answer. If this government will interfere with what is taught in public schools, the next will similarly interfere with what is and is not taught in our systems. It cuts both ways.
With that said, someone who wants their child to appreciate the religious aspects of Judaism should send to a religious educational environment. It’s not fair to secular people to institute tefillah or mandate religious studies in secular public schools. Let’s also not forget that a substantial portion of our population are comprised of Arabs, Druze, Christians, etc.
jdb ” It’s not fair to secular people to institute tefillah or mandate religious studies in secular public schools. Let’s also not forget that a substantial portion of our population are comprised of Arabs, Druze, Christians, etc.”
Are you not aware that in the USA, secular public school teach their students about Easter and Christmas plus often produce performances of these and other religious holidays? It’s called “cultural” education. All students (including Jewish ones) participate.
Why shouldn’t a Jewish State also have “cultural” education of the Yomim Tovim and basic tefilos and mitzvos (such as tefillin, shabbos, kosher, shofar, sukka, chanuka, megila, matza etc), EVEN if Arabs, Druze, Christians students are exposed to it?!
After all, it is a Jewish State.