As it stands today, in the field of local and international education, it seems that providing students and others, with factual and truthful “Hasbara”, and documenting and complaining about antisemitism, is not enough!
To try to make a difference for the better, we should also add to our overall educational efforts the following points, as they may help redirect the public’s anger and attention to the correct addresses, and away from irrational attacks on the Jews or on the state of Israel:
1. Show how the anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli activities, deception, and incitement, will cause harm to everybody, including to those who were supporting the false and manipulative messages of the radicals. People will have to understand that, should evil prevail, their own skin is also going to be in the game,
2. Show how the activities of the bad operatives will undermine both Jews and non-Jews alike. It is not only an antisemitic problem – it is a free world problem,
3. Show who is providing most of the funds to these bad operatives,
4. Show how much of that money, which is used and misused by these bad operatives, will also be used for their own personal benefit.
5. Show how some of the money is being used to deceive, incite, and brainwash the current and next generation, which will ultimately harm the stability and the welfare of all societies.
6. Show how these self-serving, malicious individuals may benefit not only from monetary personal gains, but also from many other items. These may include, for example, access to information, building personal contacts, receiving invitations to social activities, obtaining recognition by questionable peers and others, getting invitations to go on expensive trips, obtaining undeserved benefits for their family members, securing protection from threats, etc.
In addition, we must make the following changes in Israeli and Jewish education, as well as policies towards the Palestinian Authority:
1. Make sure that the funding that is provided to various schools, both under Israeli and PA authority, are conditional on teaching accurate information about the current and the remote historical truth and facts, as they relate to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
2. Do not fund schools that provide an anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish, Palestinian Authority curriculum. This is true for many schools in Israel and especially in the schools that are in East Jerusalem. (Some of these funds are provided by the local municipalities, but even in those cases, the government may have the ability to serve in an advisory role.)
3. Provide incentives to Israeli poor youth and youth-at-risk, both Charedi and non-Charedi, male and female alike, to learn skills that will help them become productive members of society. They will become well educated people who do not depend on handouts from the government or from other charities, and who will become ambassadors for a good cause.
4. Provide the various Jewish schools in the Diaspora with funds that will be used to teach students the basic historical truth about the State of Israel and the Jewish people. There are complete curriculum programs for Jewish schools by StandWithUs, Open Door Media, and others.
5. Take advantage of materials that can be used in all schools and in the various media outlets, like those which are available for free, in the highly informative signs and booklets that are provided by StandWithUs. Some of these booklets are available in multiple languages, including in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic. Click here for the direct link to these 70 important and highly informative free booklets. Consider also including the educational videos from Open Door Media. At the related Unpacked, VIDEO COLLECTION, you can also get much of the information you will need to easily navigate through these complicated issues and develop informed opinions about Israel and Judaism. This material can be used also in Jewish and Arab schools within the State of Israel, as a supplement to the properly reviewed general studies curriculum of the Ministry of Education (which should include also Tanach).
6. Provide special resources to those who educate the educators, like Orot Israel College of Education, Machon Lev, Bet El Institutions, Ariel University, Or Torah Stone, and Bar-Ilan University.
7. Facilitate the creation of additional television and radio stations that will provide reliable and truthful information to the public, in addition to the already existing Israel National News, JNS, and others.
8. Do NOT give the Palestinian Authority or Hamas unlimited funds that will pay terrorists for their horrendous actions, support terror infrastructure, or facilitate incitement and deception in Israel and across the globe.
9. Constantly interact with journalists, educators, influencers, politicians, and others, and share with them relevant and timely information.
10. Cultivate responsible and competent journalists and others, who will be able to frequently publish relevant and reliable information and articles in various media outlets.
11. Relay, relay, relay, and repeat. As we know from marketing experts, all the messages must be repeated multiple times if we want readers to absorb the information, to comprehend the messages, and eventually to act upon them wisely.
This very short list is a manageable first step, which can be expanded or modified as needed. These ideas should be implemented as soon as possible to limit future problems. We must set up the State of Israel, the Jewish people, and all other honorable citizens, for a successful future, with a stable, secure, prosperous, and viable society.
Steven Brizel says
Here is one other point -avoid the self hating and post modernist Israeli university world as a source of curricula
11bravo says
That goes without saying.
Kay says
The BDS movement should be classified as a terrorist organization,
Ron Grant says
The Jewish/non-Jewish Palestinian conflict is not Black and White,each having their story to tell,going back some Millennium,and the Occupation of ancient Israel by the Romans. We are obligated to listen to these stories,some mythical,others very real, if ever there is to be Peace and Prosperity between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
There are valid arguments here,but until all stakeholders acknowledge the history of the conflict,including the Occupation of the Palestinian Homeland,where/when Palestinian non-Jews held a significant majority,the nightmare will persist.Of course,with the passage of decades,certain “facts on the ground” have been established by Occupation, Colonization,and victimization.
” Flower of Scotland””, speaks of and to the historical conflict between the Scottish and English Peoples,particularity to the final defeat of the Scots with the loss of Scottish Independence and rule. If anything,the Scots,not unlike the Jews,and they have much in common,are a practical,hard-nosed People,and do not live on dreams,rather realities,thus: .
Acceptance is not to be confused with acquiescence, where acceptance is a stepping stone to “still rise now, And be the nation again”..
Scots have found themselves as settlers,coerced,forced,and otherwise, in many foreign lands,an example being Nova Scotia, partially settled by Highlanders,but did not engage in their own ethnic cleansing. Perhaps Jews should take a leaf from the Enlightened Scots.
Rachelle says
There is not now and never was a Palestinian homeland. So before you pontificate, get your own facts straight.
Ron Grant says
A page from Turks who deny the Christian Armenian Genocide and Neo-Nazi’s who deny the Jewish holocaust. Common to the above and the Palestinian NAKBA are a recorded history of Crimes and Sins Against Humanity,Denial,and Victim-Blaming. I don’t expect anything better from the Christian Zionist community,them being a particularly strange bunch,but of all Peoples,given their history of suffering,,,,,,,second to none,over time and place,Jews should know better. Just sayin’.
PS Jews should thing twice before placing their trust in Christian Zionists,(just look at their self-serving,Rapturous agenda,and ultimately embedded antisemitism.