Israel’s High Schools Bastions Of Racism, New Israeli Book Claims

“For me, personally, Arabs are something I can’t look at and can’t stand. I am tremendously racist. I come from a racist home. If I get the chance in the army to shoot one of them, I won’t think twice. I’m ready to kill someone with my hands, and it’s an Arab. In my education I learned that…their education is to be terrorists, and there is no belief in them. I live in an area of Arabs, and every day I see these Ishmaelites, who pass by the [bus] station and whistle. I wish them death."

Above: right wing protesters carrying a sign calling for revenge against Arabs, Jerusalem, July 2014 (file photo)

Israel’s High Schools Bastions Of Racism, New Israeli Book Claims
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

“For me, personally, Arabs are something I can’t look at and can’t stand. I am tremendously racist. I come from a racist home. If I get the chance in the army to shoot one of them, I won’t think twice. I’m ready to kill someone with my hands, and it’s an Arab. In my education I learned that…their education is to be terrorists, and there is no belief in them. I live in an area of Arabs, and every day I see these Ishmaelites, who pass by the [bus] station and whistle. I wish them death,” a 10th-grade girl from a high school in central Israel is quoted as saying in “abominable Hebrew” in a forthcoming book on Israeli schools, “Scenes from School Life” by academics Idan Yaron and Yoram Harpaz, Ha’aretz reported.

The book is based on observations Yaron, a sociologist, made over a 3-year period in a six-year secular high school – “the most average school we could find,” coauthor Harpaz, a professor of education, said.

The pair’s work shows that remarks like those made by the student quoted above are commonplace and are a component of the average student’s identity. And this shows how little Israel’s education system cares about fighting racism, the authors claim, and point out that teachers and school administrators who do try to fight racism and educate against it are in the minority.

Much of the book’s chapter on racism revolves around Bible lessons given in a ninth-grade class. The theme of those lessons was revenge.

“The class starts, and the students’ suggestions of examples of revenge are written on the blackboard. [A student named Yoav] insists that revenge is an important emotion. He utilizes the material being studied to hammer home his semi-covert message: All the Arabs should be killed. The class goes into an uproar. Five students agree with Yoav and say openly: The Arabs should be killed,” the teacher told Yaron.

One student says he heard in synagogue on Shabbat that “Aravim zeh erev rav” (“Arabs are the [biblical] mixed multitude,” that escaped with the Israelites from Egypt and then caused trouble for the Israelites afterward) and are also “Amalek [the biblical archenemy of the Jewish people Jews are commanded to wipe out], and there is a commandment to kill them all.”

Another student responds that he would take revenge on anyone who murdered his own family, but wouldn’t kill all Arabs.

“Some of the other students are outraged by this [too kind response]. The student then makes it clear that he has no love for Arabs and that he is not a leftist,” the teacher told Yaron.

Another student, Michal, professes shock at what she is hearing and says she believes that the desire for revenge will only provoke a cycle of death and destruction. Not all Arabs are bad, she says, and they all don’t deserve to die. “People who decree the fate of others so easily are not worthy of life,” Michal concludes.

“The students all start shouting. Some are personally insulted, others are up in arms, and Michal finds herself alone and absorbing all the fire – ‘Arab lover,’ ‘leftist.’ I try to calm things down. The class is too distraught to move on to the biblical story. The bell rings. I let them out and suggest that they be more tolerant of one another,” the teacher says.

In the hall, the teacher sees a crowd of 9th graders has surrounded Michal and are taunting her, “Fie, fie, fie, the Arabs will die!”

The teacher broke up the students and took Michal to the teacher’s lounge and watched as she broke down in tears.

Six of the students who taunted her are suspended for two days. But Michal continues to suffer.

“She continues to be laconic. This is what always happens, she says. The opinions are racist, and her only regret is speaking out. I just want to hug her and say I’m sorry I put her through this trauma. I envy her courage to say aloud things that I sometimes am incapable of saying,” the teacher said.

For his part, one of the racist students from class, Yoav, says Michal said, “too bad you weren’t killed in a terrorist attack,” when she spoke out.

“As soon as I heard about the quarrel with that leftist girl [Michal], I was ready to throw a brick at her head and kill her. In my opinion, all the leftists are Israel-haters. I personally find it very painful. Those people have no place in our country – both the Arabs and the leftists,” the first student who professer her desire to kill Arabs told Yaron later in the year.

“Racism is part of our life, no matter how much people say it’s bad,” another student told Yaron.

In an anti-racism workshop, the moderator asked the students how they thought racism might be wiped out.

“Thin out the Arabs,” a student immediately responded.

“I want you to leave here with the knowledge that the phenomenon exists, for you to be self-critical, and then maybe you will prevent it,” the moderator responded.

Another student shot back dismissively, “If we’re not racist, that makes us leftists.”

The moderator, now desperate, looked for something small, any positive step students could take away from the workshop. “I’d like it if you took at least something small from this workshop.”

A student replies, “That everyone should live the way he wants, that if he thinks he’s racist, let him think what he wants, and that’s all.”

Yoav, one of the racist students quoted above, said that the opposition to racism is an outgrowth of Ashkenazi hatred of Sefardim and Mizrahim (Jews from Middle Eastern and North African countries) – a hatred Yova says is still flourishing.

There is “discrimination between Mizrahim and Ashkenazim. We were severely punished for the incident [with Michal, who is Ashkenazi], but if it were the other way around, that wouldn’t have happened,” Yoav insisted.

He later told Yaron that he found the common saying, “What’s this, a shuk [open-air market]?” offensive, because his whole family works in the local produce market.

“Our business has existed since the state was established,” Yoav said. “I am proud of my father, who is a man of the market. What are they trying to say, that my father isn’t cultured? When people say something about ‘Arabs,’ it’s considered a generalization, but when they say ‘market,’ that’s all right. When people say ‘market,’ they are actually talking about Mizrahim. We need to change the prejudices about the market and about the Mizrahim. People say I am a racist, but it’s just the opposite,” Yoav insisted.

“There is no discussion about the topic of racism in the school and there probably will not be. We are not prepared for the deep, long-term process that’s necessary. Even though I am constantly aware of the problem, it is far from being dealt with. It stems in the first place from the home, the community and the society, and it’s hard for us to cope with it. You have to remember that another reason it’s hard to deal with the problem is that it also exists among the teachers. Issues such as ‘human dignity’ or ‘humanism’ are in any case considered left-wing, and anyone who addresses them is considered tainted,” the school’s principle told Yaron.

According to the Ha’aretz report, along with the school system’s weak handling of the racism issue, there is a whole longer series of subjects that are not recommended for discussion in schools at all in order to maintain quiet. Among those subjects are Palestinian claims that the founding of the State of Israel (“the Nakba” or “catastrophe” as Palestinians call it) hurt Palestinians by forcing many to flee their homes and become refugees, and human rights and morality issues surrounding Israeli military operations.

Comments

[lj]

what the core curriculum does for you. that's why I'm moving to abu gosh .. difficult living there, amongst-others...due to having to try realllly hard to like hummus.

[Moshe]

The Arabs/ Palestinians are such wonderful and peaceful neighbors that it is really shocking to hear that there is so much racism among these evil, bigoted Jews.

(Note the dripping sarcasm.)

Why don't you do a post about what the Arabs are taught in THEIR schools (i.e., that Israel does not exist, that all of Israel is really "occupied Palestine," that Jews are apes/ monkeys/ pigs, that all the Jews should be killed, etc.)? Even if there is anti-Arab sentiment among the Jewish students (and rightly so), most of them do not act on it and do not actually go out and kill Arabs indiscriminately, or shoot thousands of rockets at Arab homes, etc. When there is an isolated incident where Arabs are killed, it is widely condemned by 90% of Israeli society, as it should be. Whereas by the Arabs there are terrorist attacks, and when they happen they are celebrated openly in the streets of Gaza. The murderers are regarded as martyrs and they have streets and public places named in their honor, etc, etc.

Try taking things in perspective next time instead of posting one-sided articles that reflect fully justified feelings of anger at the group that is responsible for shootings untold numbers of rockets at Jewish homes (and try to keep in mind that every single rocket attack is, in fact, an attempt to murder Jews).

[B]

It must be pleasant to be so morally superior...from Minnesota. Why don't you come to Israel, have some stones thrown at you, have people you know be attacked for being Jews, have cars pull up with Arabs hanging out and flashing the three finger "we kidnapped your kids" signs at you...Come enjoy the Arabs at their finest, then be morally superior. No? That's exactly why people hate you leftists. Don't worry, soon your Somali neighbors will teach you to love Arabs.

[Put a square into a hole]

TO MOSHE
Just reverse the word arab for Israeli and you know EXACTLY what the kindergarten kids are taught in gaza.....

[lj]

There are several kibbutzim, etc..especially in the upper Galilee that work their farms, and cooperate and learn with the arab farmers around, several schools also at an early age..go to school with the other population there..not sure if full time but recall seeing. I hope they intend to write their next article and book in that light. Why is it "what they" teach..it should be what "you" do.

[lj]

leftist..the kibbutz I visited was religious...though I don't care for that word..for context..grew herbs and environmentally concerned..religious..shared their technology and etc..with their neighbors...

[lj]

A Chassidic Rabbi, lived around Hebron, tried to establish good relations with others..he was called "crazy" by other Jews there..hundreds and hundreds attended his levaya. Hundreds. Can't recall his name.

[JessicaR]

As someone who has taught both middle school and high school, it has been my experience that early adolescence is the peak time for xenophobia among many kids. Note that many of the students saying these shocking things were in ninth grade.

Furthermore, this phenomenon is often stronger among children of immigrants who use displays of racism to fit in and belong. My guess is that something similar is happening in Israel. Probably many of the most racist kids are from immigrant families and they are trying to belong, too.

By the time they graduate high school, many will moderate their views, as do many students in the US.

These kids are, alas, just being adolescents.

[ruthie]

i agree with jessica. most people are as racist as their kitchen table conversations at home.
kids learn...
and say things...that are completely wrong, stupid and evil.
that said.
lj
thank you for sharing this lovely story.
peace shalom will be achieved when we can be neighbors and borrow milk from each other. full stop

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

B –

I lived in Israel. I was in bomb scares and on a bus that was stoned and on another that had a molotov cocktail thrown at it (it didn’t work, thankfully, and burned out before hitting us). I know people who were in terror attacks and who saw Israeli civilians blown up in front of them. And I have no sympathy for Hamas.

What you and so many others fail to understand is that Israel has to live in this world – a world in which its trading partners and allies expect international law to be followed.

Here’s an explanation of the former top expert on this issue for the IDF. Why not read it, listen to the 15 minute interview, and learn something?

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2014/08/disproportionality-in-war-and-israels-targeted-killings-of-terrorists-123.html

[zachw]

Moshe: "Why don't you do a post about what the Arabs are taught in THEIR schools"

Because this has - and continues to be - widely reported in the Jewish media. The racism on the Jewish side is NOT.

[B]

International law? I have been to Iraq and Afghanistan. Let me tell you something about international law: it is a convenient tool for strong nations to abuse weaker ones. International law does not apply to Sudan, to Iran, to ISIS (armed and trained by the same people teaching us about international law,) to the US which has plunged half a dozen nations into bloody chaos since the turn of the century, to Russia which has done whatever it pleased in Chechnya, to China, to anyone but Israel. The attempts of the US to enforce these standards on its military in a war, sporadic as they were, led directly to what happened to the Yezidis, and to what is happening to those Afghans who took America seriously.

Well, guess what? When we followed the dictate of the "international community" (which does not include China or India or Russia or most of the world which doesn't care if we kill every Arab in Gaza tomorrow, by the way, and amounts to "whatever the NYT thinks this week,") we ethnically cleansed Gaza of Jews. Which is how we got to the current situation, where only by a miracle did we discover the tunnels before Hamas' Rosh Hashana surprise. Maybe it's time to stop living by the law of the New York Times and start living by the law of the Torah.

As for your time in Israel-great. Thank you. Then you ran away. So have the basic decency, while you live in Minnesota, to keep your facehole shut while your brothers are in an existential struggle.

[B]

And since you've got me going, let me tell you two more things. First, I don't care in the slightest about proportionality. If every single woman, child and old person in Gaza dies, I will sleep like a baby. They elected Hamas with an 80% majority, and have done nothing to indicate that they disagree with its policies. Democracy goes both ways. And if Hamas, which is in a better position to know their worth as human beings than I am, decides their best use is as sandbags, who am I to disagree? Why would I value their lives higher than their husbands, fathers, children and politicians do? I don't feel bad when a sandbag takes a bullet-that's what it's for.

Secondly, your implication about "what if Americans embargo us." If Americans think the business interests of Silicon Valley are outweighed by their love for the Arabs, we need to focus on living without America, by pivoting towards China, India, Russia, etc. Otherwise, we will have a choice between being Rhodesia (chose defiance, embargoed, pressured into surrender, rapidly ethnically cleansed and ruled by savages) and South Africa (chose appeasement, currently in the process of being gradually ethnically cleansed and ruled by savages.) That's no choice at all. A deal with America is a deal with the devil, no matter what you do.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

B –

Oh, please. The Yazidis are in the position they are in because we never should have invaded Iraq in the first place and once we did, Obama’s lack of action when they other minorities were being slaughtered by ISIS was appalling. It was only the media – mostly CNN, which got great footage – that forced Obama to act. Why? Obama doesn’t want to have any US boots on the ground, but the only way to effectively stop ISIS is to have those boots on the ground. If anything, Obama’s failure to act was immoral and unethical. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, Iraq is our mess, and it is our responsibility to clean it up.

All that said, international law and proportionality has nothing to do with why the Yazidis are in a bad situation – unless you mean ISIS’ failure to follow international law and the doctrine of proportionality. But that is not what you mean.

As for me “running away,” I didn’t do that, asshole. I left in large part because my parents were ill and needed my help. And that’s the reason I gave when I got my patur from the IDF when I left, and when I had to get my documents updated.

You are an ass.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

B –

And now that I’ve read your more recent comment and your “sandbag” and South African“savages ”remarks, it’s clear that you’re nothing but a fascist and a racist. Rot in hell.

[B]

Yes, being a racist is a much worse crime than being a traitor to one's people, or using your women and children as sandbags. G-d hates racists, this we know, the Gray Lady tells us so.

The Yazidis are in the position they are in because the American troops there were emasculated and prevented from doing what was necessary to crush Al Qaeda by guys like you moaning about civilian casualties. Result-surgical strikes, no fear that a tribe would pay heavily for supporting AQ, and an America which wanted to cut a deal, declare victory and leave what was by definition an unprofitable endeavor. And what do you mean, "our responsibility to clean it up"? You've never served in the military a day in your life, and neither would your kids if you had any, so what is this disingenuous "our" when you mean others?

Save your excuses. Whatever medical issues your parents had, surely they are past, yet you are still in MN, hectoring Israel on how to fight its wars. And of course hectoring Americans on how they should send their children back to Iraq. But not actually do anything DISPROPORTIONATE-that might secure a lasting victory. We don't want that. That would itself be, by definition, disproportionate, since someone would win and someone would lose.

Sorry I called the African National Council and their constituents savages. That was unfair and insensitive. They are just like us, except for the necklacing as a vital part of political discourse. And the mass rape epidemic. And of course the rape and murder of tens of thousands of white farmers for being white. Minor details. I'm sure all it will take is for them to read your blog, and they'll come right around. We are the world-we are the children. Etc.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

B –

You are a disgusting racist.

As for your claims about the Yazidis, their predicament has nothing to do with surgical strikes and the US failure to carpet bomb as you wanted it to do.

The very fact that you advocate ethnic cleansing and genocide basically disqualifies you from decent humanity.

As for South Africa, it’s always convenient to start your ticking off of the problems after the more than 100 years of white oppression of blacks, coloreds and mixed race people ended and to ignore the problems that long period of racism caused. You also ignore the bloodbath that did NOT happen when the ANC took over. And you vastly exaggerate the crime that is happening now. And you do all of this as an open racist.

You are stain on the Jewish people.

As for my parents, I spent almost 15 years dealing with their illnesses and caring for them.

So your remark about that is wrong, as well.

[B]

The fact that the US did not secure any sort of victory against the Sunni tribes of the area has nothing to do with the fact that they took the opportunity to wipe out their Yazidi neighbors? Fascinating.

Interestingly, Africans did the exact same thing they are doing now prior to the 100 years of white oppression, and during that white oppression did not do them. I mean, there was no rape or murder epidemic during that time. Then the second that white oppression stopped, hey, here comes the rape and murder epidemic. So I think you have your causality backwards.

It is interesting that not only do I vastly exaggerate the crime that is happening now, but I've somehow convinced Wikipedia and the South African Times to join in with me in this exaggeration:

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2014/08/20/more-than-45000-south-african-women-raped-so-far-this-month-blow-the-whistle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_violence_in_South_Africa

I've also cunningly framed their most respected president, Jacob Zuma, for raping an HIV-infected woman. Don't worry, Shmarya, he got off-who says there's no justice in this world? He says, by the way, that he knew she had HIV but was OK because he took a shower afterwards. Aren't you glad his constituents had their right to vote for him secured by nice white people like you?

I've also convinced everyone to vastly exaggerate the incidence of non-sexual violent crime in ZA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa#Violent_crime

See what a bad person I am? I wouldn't be surprised if it was my racism which caused the black South Africans to turn their own country into a hell on earth, just like the bad racists warned people like you would happen. Well, good thing you've learned your lesson and would never pressure a civilized country into a suicidal course of action...right? Right, Shmarya? Riiiight.

[B]

There you go, block objectionable opinions. Crawl into your comfort space, where it's safe.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

B –

Your claims about the Yazidis are complete BS. The US couldn’t defeat the Sunni tribes because it refused to carpet bomb them? Are you insane? And the South African blacks are “savages” who rape and commit murder due to the color of their skin? You are sick, sick person. Rot in hell.

[B]

The US couldn't defeat the Sunni tribes because it refused to punish them as tribes. South African blacks are savages, no quotation marks, who rape and commit murder due to their violent culture and inborn stupidity. If I rot in hell, it won't be for encouraging mayhem by demanding the good tie their hands in the face of evil.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

B –

No. You’ll rot in hell of being a racist bigot.

[Barry 1]

ruthie: Major difference between us and the Arabs. Their education system teachers them to hate and want to kill Jews. Many parents want kids to be Jihadis. Israeli kids learn to be anti-Arab because of the brutal actions of the Arabs and for their need to remain vigilant so as not to be a victims of terrorism. If the Arabs were civil human beings, no such feelings would exist.

[B]

Yes, the ultimate crime. You know, right up there in the ten commandments-Thou Shalt Not Think Racist Thoughts. I'm deeply ashamed of my Crimethink. Please don't report me to the Ministry Of Love.

[A sandbag is a sandbag]

B presented facts and inescapable conclusions. All Shmarya could do was plug his ears and whine, "racist rot in hell".

Who's more convincing?

Regarding the article, it makes me very glad that the kids managed to have the proper attitude despite the huge efforts to mind control them into not pulling the trigger on some sandbag when they serve in the infantry a few years from now.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

B –

Yes. Being a racist is a terrible thing. You are sick and evil man.

Sandbag –

Please. You’re a racist and an ass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For everyone else reading this, with regard to the Gaza war, read what international law is and what Israel itself admits it is obligated to follow:

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2014/08/disproportionality-in-war-and-israels-targeted-killings-of-terrorists-123.html

Note that the issue is not what you or I think Israel is doing or even what Israel itself says it is doing.

The issue is that the US, Britain, other western nations, the UN and many international aid groups believe that Israel is distorting the doctrine of proportionality beyond recognition and is violating international law. They say this for clear reasons that, when you actually see what the law actually is, you can see do not have to be anti-Semitic or anti-Israel.

As for general racism like B’s, anyone who defends it is vile and sick. And if you don’t realize that, believe me, it doesn’t change the reality.

[B]

What's vile and sick is guys like you pushing your policies to get your little holier-than-thou rush, then absolving yourselves of the predictable results (mass murder, rape, theft, etc.) But you ARE complicit. Calling people who point that out vile and sick, telling them they will burn in hell, doesn't absolve you of your responsibility.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

B –

Please.

You are racist bigot.

You want collective punishment? You want to ethnically cleanse people based on their skin color or religion?

You’re no better than Ku Klux Klan member or a neo-Nazi.

[Dorothee Lottmann-Kaeseler]

Just a few more arguments:

http://d7hj1xx5r7f3h.cloudfront.net/Israeli-Palestinian_School_Book_Study-Press_Release-English.pdf
JERUSALEM, Israel, Feb. 4, 2013
–

After Attacks Israeli Schools Confront Hate
By JODI RUDOREN and ISABEL KERSHNER
Published: August 27, 2012 The New York Times

Israeli survey finds school Holocaust lessons have minimal impact

Only 0.5 percent of students surveyed say the Holocaust memorial ceremonies, which take place for Israeli children throughout their school years, were significant in their Holocaust education.

By Talila Nesher Haaretz 27.01.12

-----
Poll: Half of Israeli high schoolers oppose equal rights for Arabs
By Or Kashti -
Haaretz March 12, 2010 Adar 26, 5770

[B]

Then Moshe, Yehoshua Ben Nun and King David were no better that Neo-Nazis or Klan members. Not to mention Ezra Ha-sofer and the Maccabees. Oh, and Mordechai. So I'm in good company. On the other side, there's you and the UN.

[anchell]

B or is(h) it i . . .
what comfort we derive from living a life with our bellies always filled and brimming toxically up to our oesophagus. . . your commentary is certainly reflective of such truism. I for one is grateful to hear you spout out what truly rests behind that smiling, hateful facade and self proclaimed superiority you ,oh so, dramatically, profess!

. . . your chosen expression of pain, to commit genocide, is far inferior (as an evolved conscience that is) to the rapes and murders you accuse the South Africans of committing.

As for conscionable speak, if you believe any of those actions to be immoral or wrong in any way, then the subjectivity of that perspective must be settled on another day.

The point here and the difference being, they the "savages" do not hide behind a false civility and, must at some point be confronted by their conscience. Where as you, in your inimical and mechanical way, will remain subhuman, and expire never having learnt who you are.

Be certain of one thing, our collective existence here is no mistake

[B]

I'm terribly sorry-do you speak English?

[anchell]

I'm terribly sorry-do you speak English?

Posted by: B | August 26, 2014 at 03:30 PM
. . . feigned ignorance?
Y o u A r e P r e t e n t i o u s !