Greater Detroit Chapter of Hadassah

presents

"Conversations
with.

Where Israel's Schools Diffe

The state funds both religious
and secular schools; both systems
are touted as successes.

NECHEMIAH MEYERS
Israel Correspondent

Rehovot, Israel
n Israel this year it is not at all
certain that the school year will
open, as scheduled, on Sept. 1.
This is because the teachers fre-
quently choose this date to strike for
higher wages and better working con-
ditions; they did so last year and
might do so again.
Be that as it may, when pupils
finally enter their classrooms, an over-
whelming percentage of them will be
inside public school classrooms.
That's unlike the United States, where
a month-long tour showed that many
of the actively Jewish parents seem
determined to send their children to
private schools, and not always Jewish
ones.
.
Here, such private schools are few
and far between. This is because
Israel's public school system, its
numerous problems notwithstanding,
still works.
However, generalizations about the
Israeli school system are misleading
because the country has not one sys-
tem but several whose goals and
accomplishments differ widely.
Two-thirds of Israeli pupils attend
general (i.e., secular) schools, while
the other third go to religious schools.
The government funds both types of
schools. The religious ones are divid-
ed into two sub-groups: some young-
sters are at state religious schools (run
by the modern Orthodox and with a
curriculum similar to that of secular
schools), while the others attend inde-
pendent religious schools (run by the
ultra-Orthodox and giving short
shrift to secular subjects).
There is no likelihood that these
systems will be merged into a single
network of schools in the foreseeable
future, desirable though many educa-
tors believe that would be. At least,
these educators argue, efforts should
be made to ensure that there is a stan-
dard core curriculum in educational
institutions.
As things stand now, the graduates
of the independent religious schools
— who learn precious little science,
English and mathematics — can con-

I

Tuesday, September 14, 1999
Temple Israel

5725 Walnut Lake Road • West Bloomfield

10 AM-3:30 PM Boutiques
10-10:45 AM Registration
11 AM-12 PM Program
12:45 PM Luncheon

Inquire about preferred seating and
private reception with Ms. Sills.

Babysitting available for ages
2 and above by reservation only

Community Invited

FOR TICKETS & MORE INFORMATION,
CALL HADASSAH (248) 683-5030

the 11M

ATHERWOOD

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

For information call Kathy Ostrowski

(248) 350-1777

(

8/27
1999

16 Detroit Jewish News

22800 Civic Center Drive • Southfield, MI

tribute little to the economy in an
increasingly high-tech Israel. And, of
course, many of the students in sec,
lar schools know too little about the
Jewish heritage.
Another angle in the education
debates throughout the country these
days is the suggestion that the genera
(secular) schools be given the same
partial autonomy now enjoyed by
state religious schools.
In that way, they could supplemen
their core curriculum with more cla's
es devoted to humanistic philosophy
and culture, much as the state reli-
gious schools supplement theirs with
additional Judaic learning.
A much talked about phenomenon
here is that the fastest-growing sectioi
of the educational system in recent
years has been that run by the ultra-
Orthodox Shas Party.
Called El Hama'ayan, the Shas
schools are able to lure children from
other school systems because they
offer longer hours and smaller classes
free transportation and lunch. El
Hama'ayan can do so because the
party's pressure on the government
has ensured that Shas schools get a lo
more money than its competitors. )
Showing just how lopsided allocd-`
tions have been is a recently released
report from the Ne'eman
Commission, which was appointed
during the term of former Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to
bridge the gap in terms of Israel's
internal religious divides and the
strains they have brought with dias-
pora Jewry. It turns out that El
Hama'ayan institutions have been get
ting 76 percent more money per
pupil than the secular and state-reli-
gious schools.
Were this favoritism abolished,
Shas schools would have to drastically
curtail their extras and, as a result,
lose many pupils. So, while the Shas
leadership has many complaints
against Prime Minister Ehud Barak, -ill
will try its best to remain in his gov-
ernment in order to ensure that the
money keeps flowing.
And Israel's school system, almost
entirely funded by the state, not only
will stay diverse, but will keep on
meeting with success. I