A few months ago, a friend painfully told me about an incident that happened at his granddaughter's school.
The friend, a traditional person who belongs to the most educated, well-established and senior millennial of the State of Israel, said that his granddaughter, who is studying in the state school, signed up for a trip to Poland.
Emma was amazed to find out that one of the days of the journey would be Yom Kippur, and that trips and visits to extermination sites were planned during the day itself!
The mother, convinced that it was a mistake, contacted the school.
And the school, for its part, accused her of... her religion.
This story encapsulates two resounding lessons: First, the state education system does not fulfill its mission, defined in the state education law, regarding building the student's identity as a member of the Jewish people.
The political struggle over the state's image, between a state for all its citizens and a Zionist state, is being managed through the education system, on the backs of Israel's students and at our expense.
Second, the traditional citizens of Israel, who want a Jewish identity for their children but do not intend to maintain a religious lifestyle - suffer from exclusion and oppression.
And this is not a minority.
A survey conducted by Becher Strategy for the traditional union found that about half of the traditional parents are interested in increasing Jewish studies.
And among the general public - more than 40% are interested in it!
These are numbers that indicate the magnitude of the injustice.
Not only do these parents send their children every morning to an education system that does not educate them, but it also undermines the values that are important to them.
What to do?
The ideal solution lies in fixing the state education system.
To this end, a pedagogy of traditional education must be written, new curricula written, existing programs updated, and managers and educational teams trained.
No need to start from scratch.
There are traditional organizations that are already doing significant work that can be imitated and replicated.
However, unfortunately, it is a struggle with low chances of success.
The state education system is huge, and the ability to influence it effectively is low.
Therefore, alongside the struggle for state education, a traditional education stream must be established immediately.
Such a step has two advantages: the first - correcting the injustice done to the traditionalists.
76% of the traditionalists are in favor of the establishment of a state-traditional current, which will combine tradition and heritage;
Education for Judaism and Zionism with science studies.
Among the general public, 57% support such a step.
Moreover, 70% of the traditionalists declare that they would send their children to study in such a school if it were established, as do 43% of the general public.
And the second benefit - to the system.
The stream will be managed with efficient methods and will allow flexibility for managers, reward based on excellence and other measures that will improve the system - but are thwarted on a regular basis in the existing streams.
The move can be defined as a ten-year pilot, at the end of which either the public will vote with their feet and the general education system will be drained into the traditional one - or the traditional system will merge as a whole, as a critical mass that will change the face of state education.
The fact that the Minister of Education comes from the party most identified with the traditional public is an excellent opportunity to promote a move that will benefit the traditional people, the education system and the entire State of Israel.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
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