Five years after the then Minister of Education Naftali Bennett initiated the establishment of the Bitton Committee, with the aim of initiating an effort to tell the forgotten story of the Jews of Islamic countries, the committee's chairman, poet Erez Bitton, lamented that decisions were dissolved, including in Bennett's shift. To the margins. "Ignore compliance with the budget items in the committee's conclusions.
"Nothing has been done in this area," he said.
Shefi Paz
The traditional Knesset lobby led by Minister Michael Bitton convened yesterday (Tuesday), with the participation of committee members, the traditional union organization that unites the traditional Mizrahi organizations and Knesset members from the various House factions.
The initiators of the discussion expressed deep disappointment at the failure to implement the conclusions of the committee's report, and Bitton even demanded a meeting with Prime Minister Bennett.
"We are giving NIS 30 billion to preserve the coalition, but can't find NIS 200 million for us?" Erez says in a conversation with Israel Today.
It's not in heaven. "He said," We demanded NIS 1.25 billion for five years, that is, 250 million a year.
Although our committee has created greater public and media awareness about the need to add Oriental content to the curricula and the Ministry of Education has tried to add lessons on role models from the past and the various aliyahs but not beyond that.
For example, there are no standards in higher education for researchers in Eastern Jewry because they have not allocated budgets for this. "
Erez Bitton, Photo: Arik Sultan
One of the initiators of the 'Traditional Union' and founder of the 'Golden Age' leadership program, Ofir Tobol, sharply attacks the government and says that " ".
According to him, in the emerging budget, each group received a share and they were left with nothing. NIS".
Tobol also points an accusing finger at the Minister of Education and says that "we tried to reach her in several ways and did not get any treatment from her. She knows how difficult it is for an Mizrahi woman from Kiryat Shmona to become a doctor of education.
If she looks at the people who grew up with her, she will see very few people who have succeeded.
The proportion of lecturers of Oriental descent in academia is very low and it is not because we have problematic genes.
This is because in Israel the Mizrahi-traditional story is not considered part of the overall official Israeli story.
I am sending my daughters to school and they are going to hear that the whole establishment of the state originated in Europe and that there is no connection to traditional Eastern Jewry. "
Ophir Tobol, Photo: Arik Sultan
In 2016, the Bitton Committee submitted its conclusions, which were spread over 300 pages, including various requirements, such as establishing a directorate for strengthening the heritage of Spanish Jewry in the Ministry of Education, establishing a central museum, establishing a new Faculty of Humanities in Spanish and Eastern Jewry. And in the Knesset Council - when none of these recommendations have been implemented.
According to the members of the traditional organizations, the adjustment of the curricula in the schools was done only in part, which does not reflect the fundamental and extensive move called for in the committee.
"In order to implement the committee's conclusions, proper budgeting is needed," they say, "educational training, application monitoring, course building, textbook writing and more, this is well detailed in the committee report."
It should be noted that the committee recommended the allocation of NIS 250 million a year for the implementation of the conclusions. To date, the Israeli government has not invested a penny in the matter. Neither in higher education nor in education. "
Bennett and Bitton when submitting the committee's conclusions, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Bitton notes that he expects the issue to be resolved in the next state budget, "This is the prime minister's opportunity to advance the issue he wanted to give serious weight to six years ago. That the issue has been pushed to the corner. "
Tobol added that "the claim against Bennett in relation to the Bitton Commission is that it was a media spin and that he wanted to do it to show that he was connected to the eastern side. Now I believe him it comes from an authentic place but on the practical level nothing was done. "Create the committee in the first place. Beyond that, the allegations against the government are that this is the first government of Israel, that it is a government of the elites. If the Bitton committee is not implemented now, anyone who claims this will be right.
The Office of the Minister of Education, Dr. Yifat Shasha Bitton, stated that the Minister held a discussion on the subject and asked for a detailed picture of the implementation of the conclusions in the schools. " The content was even included in the matriculation exams. In addition, a new website was presented that was specially promoted for collecting stories from the East, the "Hachima" website and making them accessible to schools. In addition, a database of materials has been developed that includes films, e-teaching units and videos from the East, which the ministry makes available to schools for use in the lesson plans. " To produce the TV episodes. "
The traditional union organization states: "11 pages out of 300, this is the relative scope of the preoccupation with the identity and history of the Jews of Spain and the East within one of the history books taught in the middle school at the Knesset.
This is far from the purpose of the committee's comprehensive and in-depth work.
The intention was to tell the full story and produce a fundamental change in the way schools are taught, this will not happen from a single wish in adulthood nor from minor changes in the curriculum.
In order to implement the committee's conclusions, proper budgeting and intelligent use of it is necessary for the purpose - educational training, monitoring of application, building courses, writing textbooks and more.
All of these are well detailed in the committee's report.
Regarding the minister's announcement of the "Eastern Pillar of Fire" series, the organization said that it was "true news."
No response was received from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office.
