The new school year is underway in Israel, and with it is a new program, one designed to bridge the gap between religious and secular students. The pilot program will merge students from religious public schools with students of regular public schools, permitting them to prepare for the civics matriculation exam (bagrut) together, while hopefully learning to respect one another’s life style, officials report. Students from 48 schools around the country will take part in the program, with an equal number participating from each camp.
The program entails ten meetings as well as a comprehensive exam and a course project. Officials hope this will encourage students to work together and developing a dialogue regarding their identities as Israelis. The participants will have to complete a project that includes researching state institutions.
According to Dr. Avraham Lifshitz, who heads the Ministry of Education’s Religious Education Division, it is not enough for simply hold meetings to meet one another, as some organizations do, but the students must be prompted to work alongside side, to rely on one another as well as supporting one another.
Dr. Lifshitz remains optimistic, adding if the program is viewed a success, he hopes to expand it to include more schools and additional students.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Why do you have a picture of two frum kids in article discussing religious and secular divide?
Wow, sounds beautiful!
Just one more way the zionists and erev Rav has divised to try to breakdown the fortresses of authentic yiddishkeit. Bring the zionim’s children to play and be classmates with the anti zionists.
In the picture, which is secular? If the program breaks the way some Chalonim hate Datim, it is a good thing. Stopping sinas chinam is always a good thing. We need Moshiach!
#3, I’m confused. The zionists are trying to get the “zionim” kids to play with the “anti zionists” because they secretly want their zionist kids to become anti-zionist? Wasn’t this article about secular and religious kids studying for a test together?
Your imagination must be a fascinating place.
Sounds to me a bit too close to hefkerus (with the best intentions of course!)… we should hear a Daas Torah on this idea before deciding what its merits are…
Which frum parents are going to be makriv their children for some “Dr.’s” experiment?
Isn’t there a reason the religious families raise their children not to be irreligious? Next thing you know, he’ll solve arab/Israeli hatred by having Jews together with muslims… and then boys and girls and then…
Nice idea, but I’m not sure it will have much positive impact, given the way it’s designed. The two groups of students are from the Mamlachti and Mamlacti Dati school systems, both of which send their students on to the army and general workforce, where they meet and work together in any case. Also, it is an unfortunate fact that students in the general Mamlachti Dati system (as opposed to those in the Torani system) are generally not as religiously strong as would be hoped for. In fact, I’d be concerned that a result of this program may well be a weakening of those students commitment to frumkeit, rather than a strengthening of the not-yet-frum.
an Israeli Yid
At first glance this would seem to be a wonderful project. However, in order to see its true value one needs to understand what creates the divide between the religious and non-religious in Israel. Unfortunately, this is not the same case as let say a Black/White prejudice issue in the States. That is based on ignorance and/or feelings of superiority.
In this case it is not based on a lack of understanding the other side, but rather a conflict in values and beliefs. If the Torah is true (which of course it is) then any Jew not abiding by it is living a life contradictory to the Ratzon of Hashem (regardless of whether one does so intently or unintentionally).
Thus, in this case we find ourselves in a situation of “toleration”, not “respect”. We can not “respect” the desecration of Torah, but we can “tolerate” its desecration patiently with the aspirations that the transgressors will soon see the true reality of this world and do teshuva. In this way we follow after Hashems ways (Eirech Apiyim).
I’m afraid to say, but based on this reality, perforce this project is doomed to fail.