JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's main high school civics textbook has become a new battleground in a culture war embroiling the country — pitting politicians against educators in a debate over how much religion and Jewish history should be included in the country's national curriculum. The uproar comes at a time when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalistic government has been pushing forward with a series of initiatives critics charge undermine the country's democratic values. The country's culture minister has threatened to pull funding for plays and art exhibits she deems hostile to Israel, the government is promoting legislation that many believe will hurt dovish nonprofit groups, and the Education Ministry recently blocked a novel from the national curriculum because it described a romance between a Jew and an Arab. The previous edition, called "To be Citizens in Israel: A Jewish and democratic state," published in 2001, numbered 600 pages and offered lessons on the meaning of a Jewish state, democracy, the structure of Israeli government, Diaspora Judaism and Israel's Arab minority. For the current revision, political scientist Revital Amiran said she was commissioned to write chapters on political parties, constitutional principles, elections, communications and democratic culture four years ago, when the updating process began. In a section on Israel's legislative branch, Amiran said editors from the ministry added a quote from Amin-Salim Jarjora, an Arab lawmaker who said at the opening of what would become Israel's parliament in 1949 that "the eyes of the Arab citizens of Israel are looking forward to this Knesset, which relies on justice and the interest of all." Bennett pointed to Yaari's sharing of a Facebook post by Breaking the Silence, a group of Israeli veterans critical of their government's policies toward Palestinians, to suggest that Yaari's beliefs clouded his professional judgment.
Israeli Educators Battle Government Over Textbook Content
By DANIELLA CHESLOW, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle: World
Sat, 02/13/2016 - 12:33am
Topics: jerusalem ap prime minister benjamin netanyahu education ministry citizens diaspora judaism revital amiran amin-salim jarjora knesset bennett facebook breaking silence palestinians israel jewish in israel arab israeli amiran yaari educators battle government textbook country culture democratic political state curriculum national
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