The Israeli left-wing and so-called ‘artists’ are outraged over a decision by Education Minister Naftali Bennett to remove a novel that he feels promotes assimilation. The romance novel, “Gader Chaya” (known in English as “Border Life”) is used in the state’s public schools and the book in question basically surrounds a romance between an Israeli woman R”L and an Arab man.
Poet Natan Zach slammed Bennett, calling him “A moron”, adding “morons are in the majority and we are in the minority”.
Noted Israeli author A.B. Yehoshua told Walla News the book is excellent and the decision to remove it from the school curriculum is “absurd and unacceptable”. Others who view themselves among the Israeli cultural elite joined in to slam the decision for they feel the book teaches students sensitivities in a relationship and should remain in the classroom.
There is also Professor Aviad HaCohen, dean of “שערי מדע ומשפט” Academic Center, who warns of the slippery slope that will ultimately result in the disqualification of portions of Tanach as well. “The Minister of Education is stupid and there is nothing to be done against stupid” the dati leumi professor added. He feels the ministry should not become a censor and the way to address assimilation is through discussion and not by disqualifying books.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
6 Responses
put it in the Arab schools and see how they react to it.
The idiots who think that if we ’embrace’ the Arabs so they will embrace us back are really the stupid morons.
Books like this caused the holocaust.
For once Mr Benett is right; there is already enough heretics in secular schools, so it’s important to put a break at one point.
Typical response from the left, to brand anything they disagree with as stupid. It’s a good thing they’re in the minority.
What makes Aviad Hacohen a “dati” liumi, if he condones books on intermarriage? Moreover, the idea of intermarriage with an Arab man is physically dangerous! Many Jewish women have suffered greatly from that mistake.
And thirdly, it has long been the Custom not to learn certain parts of Navi with children, because they contain passages children cannot understand fully and properly. Those parts should be learned when older. (And they should NOT remain unlearned for all of a person’s life.)
despite all the assimilationists I say
Yyasher koach to Mr. Bennett for his courage and wisdom
they are the morons of this generation
Decades ago, the Brisker Rav publicly noted in print that “Dati LeUmi” chinuch is “a drop of Torah mixed into a sea of heresy”.
To even dream of “disqualifying portions of Tanach” and, moreover, to consider that a reason to put notions that are not only anti-Jewish but are essentially suicidal/living hell into young impressionable girls’ minds, comes from only one “place”: nationalism.
As others noted, there is a time and place to learn all of Tanach, some parts perhaps not as early as others. But, lihavdil, there is no reason to allow secular works that harm the young and innocent children in their grasp.