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The Real Catastrophe

A

country's history not only helps
define its character but also its
soul and the legal foundation for
its existence.
Moreover, history is a country's moral
foundation for what it stands for and, in
Israel's case particularly, it is important
to be true to the principles and facts that
created the state given that its existence is
constantly in jeopardy.
Even a well-intentioned action designed
to paint a fuller picture of Israel's creation
can be dangerous — particularly when that
action is not fully explained or developed.
In essence, that is the major problem
with Israel's Education Ministry approv-
ing a public school textbook for Arab
students that includes a very sensitive
and controversial recognition that for the
Palestinians the creation of Israel was a
nakba, or catastrophe.
Specifically, the paragraph that has cre-
ated a maelstrom states:
"When the war ended, the Jews pre-
vailed and Israel and its neighbors signed
a truce. The Arabs call the war a nakba,
the war of catastrophe and destruction.
The Jews call it the Independence War."
Putting aside for a moment the implica-
tions of such a statement — on its face it
is accurate since all it does is report how
the two sides view the war — the problem
lies in not explaining why the war was and

still is a catastrophe for the Palestinians.
The Arabs in their historical record con-
tinually maintain that during the war, they
were forced from their property by Israel
and its armies. Israel maintains that they
left, mostly, voluntarily, at the bidding of
Arab states that encouraged them to leave,
believing that when they won the war the
refugees would return.
Which is correct? Well, the record speaks
for itself and, arguably, the best book on
the subject is From Time Immemorial by
Joan Peters, who when she started to write
the book wanted to prove the Arab point
of view. But after her years of research, she
discovered just the opposite.
Digging into historical records, includ-
ing the archives of the United Nations
before it developed into an anti-Israel
forum, she found ample evidence that
Israel not only did not confiscate Arab
land, but also launched programs urging
the Arabs to stay put.
She quotes numerous Arab leaders
about their role in causing the plight of
the Palestinians, including Khaled Al-
Azm, who was Syria's prime minister after
the 1948 war.
Said Al-Azm: "... it was we (the
Arabs) who made them (Palestinians)
leave ... we brought disaster upon Arab
refugees ... by bringing pressure to bear
upon them to leave ... we have rendered

them dispossessed ...Then we
exploited them ... in executing
crimes of murder, arson, and
throwing bombs upon ... men
women and children ... all this
in the service of political pur-
poses."
Remember, this is the prime
minister of Syria — that's Syria,
one of Israel's staunchest ene-
mies before and after the war.
She quotes several other Arab
leaders, who criticized the Arab world
for its treatment of the Palestinians, all,
of course, before it became politically
expedient to blame Israel. (King Hussein,
of Jordan, at the time called the treatment

Yes, the war has been a catastrophe for
the Palestinians but the fault, to para-
phrase Shakespeare, lies not in Israel, but
in themselves.
Not only did they flee voluntarily, but
they contributed to their ongoing catas-
trophe by refusing to accept numerous
overtures and plans for peace, basically
living by the creed of the infamous three
"no's" — no peace, no recognition, no
negotiations.
To be fair, were there occasions when
land was confiscated unjustly? Probably.
War, by its very nature, causes injustices
and inhumanity. The point is: It was Israeli

policy for the Palestinians to
stay and for more than a half
century, Israel has tried to make
peace with its Arab neighbors.
The problem with the new
entry into Israeli-approved
textbooks using the word nakba
is that it implicitly supports the
Arab propaganda flouted in
Arab textbooks that for years
has taught its children that
Israel's creation was unjust,
immoral and illegal.
Indeed, the Arab news media, greatly
exaggerating what is included in the
new textbook, wasted no time in writing
that for the first time, Israel admitted its
offenses and called the more traditional
Israeli textbooks "revisionist:'
Thus, Israeli's Education Ministry, while
trying to reach out to its Arab population
and give historical recognition to the Arab
point of view of the war — without mak-
ing a judgment — may have inadvertently
caused more harm than good. It may have
undermined the moral foundation for
Israel's existence.
And that may be the real catastrophe.

Berl Falbaum, a former political reporter,

author and public relations executive, teaches

journalism part-time at Wayne State University

in Detroit.

Parents Must Work To Avoid Tensions

New York/JTA

family has always used them
— that their shul rav is of the
housands of Orthodox
opinion that it's not a problem if
students will soon
they are unflavored.
head off for their post-
"If it was good enough for us
high school year of study at
all these years," the affronted
a yeshivah in Israel. For most
mother says, "why isn't it good
of these adolescents, it will be
enough for you?"
their first year away from home
This tension is particularly
Rabbi Steven
and a time to begin their ascent
disturbing
given that the year
Burg
to independence and adulthood.
of
study
in
Israel has become a
Special
Judging from recent years,
norm
for
much
of the Orthodox
Commentary
many of them will contract what
world and families make sac-
is derisively referred to as Flipping Out
rifices to save funds for this opportunity.
Syndrome, or FOS, a troubling malady that It's time we knew how to prepare for our
pits teenager against parent in a seemingly children's spiritual growth and possible
endless cycle of friction and misjudgment. changes in outlook that could and do follow,
Take this case: A mother is encourag-
so we can avoid friction in the home later.
ing her daughter, who just returned from
Many young people come back from
seminary, to take her vitamins. The young Israel seemingly looking down on the
lady balks as they don't have a hechsher,
world they left behind, often display-
or kosher certification; her rebbe in Israel ing a disconcerting, albeit unintentional
told her to use only those with a hechsher. appearance of arrogance.
Indignant, her mother counters that the
Intentionally or not, however, par-

T

24

August 9 • 2007

ents often cut themselves off from their
children's experience in yeshivah and
seminary. Consequently these young men
and women begin to associate all their
Torah learning solely with their rabbis and
teachers in Israel, leading them to presume
that their parents could not possibly under-
stand all they have absorbed. The young
people then come off as arrogant as they
conclude that their parents are uninterested
in their newfound, strengthened or added
commitment to Halachah (Jewish law).
In combating FOS, parents need to play
a proactive role by setting up a weekly
phone chavrutah, or study session, with
their children and regularly calling their
rabbis and teachers in Israel for updates.
Most important, parents and children
must make every effort to keep the com-
munication lines open, so parents remain
an integral part of their children's spiritual
growth and the children feel supported and
encouraged. Neglecting opportunities for
open communication can prove disastrous.

In addition to parents, yeshivot and
seminaries in Israel must do their part to
prevent FOS by encouraging students to
relate their thoughts and feelings to their
families throughout their year. Just as
camp counselors make sure that campers
write home to their parents, yeshivot and
seminaries should set aside time for fami-
ly letter-writing or e-mailing. Teachers and
rebbeim might consider urging parents to
take off a week to learn with their children
in Israel if possible. Administrators and
educators must view the parents as their
essential partners in the development of
each student.
The more communication between edu-
cators and parents and between students
and parents, the better the odds are for an
easy and pleasant transition back home
after the year.

Rabbi Steven Burg is the national director of

NCSY, the National Conference of Synagogue

Youth, a division of the Orthodox Union.