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Elazar Proposes Israel Education Ministry
Share Responsibility in Teacher Exchange
JERUSALEM — Albert Elazar,
superintendent of the United He-
brew Schools of Detroit, who is in
Israel with Mrs. Elazar for a per-
iod of study during his sabbatical,
is proposing to the Israel Ministry
of Education the . inauguration of
a program for mutual aid between
Israel and American Jewish com-
munities for expansion of a teach-
ers' exchange and for thorough
selection of personnel that should
best serve the over-all purpose of
solving the teacher shortage prob-
lem.
Declaring that there is need for
"reassessment of the present re-
lationship between Israel and
world Jewry" in order to assure
an indestructible relationship for
the future, Elazar called for "a
form of technical assistance that
will encourage Israel to bring its
cultural resources to bear upon
the problems of Jewish cultural
survival in the Diaspora.
Applauding the technical as-
sistance Israel gives to emerging
Afro-Asian countries, Elazar said
that program causes consideration
of an assistance plan for the com-
munities "with which Israel has.
abiding spiritual, historical and
cultural ties—the Jewish commu-
nities, particularly those in the
Western world."
Declaring that "education is
the primary medium through
which strong ties may be es-
tablished between the Jews —
particularly the Jewish youth—
of America and Israel," Elazar,
in his nroposals here, urged "a
complete change of attitude on
the part of the Israel ministry
of education" and stated that "if
a solid exchange program is to
succeed, the ministry of educa-
tion must expend its best efforts
to assure selection and prepara-
tion of the best teachers Israel
can provide for service in Amer-
ica."
Outlining his proposals, Elazar
said that "The Israeli teacher ex-
change program must be one which
is carefully planned, suported and
administered not only by the Jew-
ish Agency but by the ministry of
education, involving as much as
possible the assistance of the var-
ious academic institutions within
Israel responsible for the training
of teachers."
Elaborating unon his proposals
for joint action by the Jewish
Agency, the education ministry and
the Jewish communities, Elazar
said:
"Teachers presently qualifying
for the exchange program know
little about American Jewry and
even less about the over-all Ameri-
can milieu in which American
Jewry functions. This lack of know-
ledge seriously hampers the teach-
er in his attempt to communicate
with American Jewish youth and
limits his ability to make his teach-
ing relevant. The Israeli teacher,
prior to his arrival in the United
States, needs to know something
about American history and the
American society in which he hopes
to function. He needs to understand
what affluence means in American
society, and the kind of sophisti-
cated experiences to which the
American Jewish child is exposed.
He needs to be familiar, prior to
his arrival upon these shores, with
the problems of the American Jew-
ish community and of American
Jewish. youth in particular; prob-
lems of intermarriage, problems
of Jewish identification, problems
of providing adequate Jewish edu-.
cation. Finally, experience has
shown .that the Israeli teacher
needs to have greater familiarity
with American methods of teach-
ing, -principles of classroom man-
agement, and the general prob-
lems of the organization of the
Jewish schools in America.
"If an exchange program is to
succeed, participating teachers
must have adequate knowledge of
the unique nature of the American
Jewish community; its history as
a community and as a part of the
general American civilization; and
the particular - attitudes of Ameri-
can Jews regarding their Jewish
ties and American roots. Such
knowledge cannot be imparted in
a brief orientation seminar of one
or two weeks.
"The ministry of education
must assume the responsibility
for developing and coordinating
a mandatory academic program
with Israel's academic institu-
tions, particularly with the He-
brew University, Bar Ilan Univ-
ersity and Tel Aviv University,
whereby regular courses cover-
ing American history and civil-
ization; the history, structure
and institutions of the American
Jewish community; and the edu-
cational problems and objectives
of Jewish schools in America are
made available. In addition, spe-
cial courses in the field of edu-
cation dealing with classroom
management in American schools
and the psychology of American
students would be required.
"In another context, many Is-
raeli teachers seem to have dif-
ficulty in understanding the over-
all content orientation of the Amer-
ican Jewish school; that biblical
passages must be taught for their
value content and not for their
literal interpretation in an histori-
cal-nationalistic context alone.
Hence, teachers should be given
a familiarity with the religious con-
tent and skills which are part of
the objectives and programs of
most Jewish schools in the United
States.
"The development of a serious
academic program of this nature
can be enhanced by the utilization
of existing facilities within Israel
devoted to the study and interpre-
tationof American civilization and
Diaspora Jewry. The Department
of `American Studies and the Insti-
tute for Contemporary Jewry at
the Hebrew University are partic-
ularly suited for sharing in this
task. Both have the additional ad-
vantage of having ties with schol-
ars in their respective fields who
come to Israel from the United
States and other parts of the world
and whose talents could be utilized
for the program."
AJCongress to Continue
American-Israel Dialogue
REHOVOT, Israel —1The Ameri-
can-Jewish Congress announced
that the American-Israel Dialogue
will meet again in Israel next year,
following expressions at the closing
session by participants from both
communities that the talks were
"fascinating," "deeply encourag-
ing" and "eminently worthwhile."
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, August 16, 1968-7
Japan Admonished Not to Equate
Neutrality With Boycott Passivity
JERUSALEM — The government
of Japan should not "equate neu-
trality with passivity" in its trade
relations with Israel and the Arab
states, Arnold Forster stated here,
declaring that if it continues a
situation will result in which "Ja-
pan is more 'neutral' in favor of
the Arabs."
Forster, general counsel of the
Anti-Defamation League of Bnai
Brith, who is in Israel on a fact-
finding mission, released the re-
sults of an ADL survey which
traces the events in Japanese-
Israeli trade relations since early
May.
At that time the ADL announced
the findings of a two-year study
which showed that significant
Japanese companies were ac-
quiescing in the Arab boycott of
Israel and that the Japanese gov-
ernment's silence on the issue was
helping the Arab boycott cause.
The government of Japan has
broken its silence, Forster noted,
in statements "that profess neu-
trality in the Arab-Israeli conflict
yet hold to a 'hands-off' policy in
relation to Japanese businessmen."
The ADL official noted that
when an American businessman
defies the Arab boycott of Israel
—"as many of the most promi-
nent American companies have,
without consequent loss of their
Arab interests"—he can tell his
Arab business contacts that to
comply with the boycott would
mean a violation of U.S. law.
The Japanese businessman has
no such protection, Forster said.
"Despite the fact that Arab
threats of economic reprisal are
not inevitably carried out against
firms which have refused to bow to
the boycott of Israel, the Japanese
businessman does not at this time
have the wholehearted support of
his government in such a stand.
And the absence of such support,
Forster said, "enforces his re-
luctance to jeopardize, even in
theory, a market which encom-
passes the vast Arab world."
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