The state approach to Jewish and non‐Jewish education in Israel

Abstract

The mandatory curriculum mooted by the Israeli Ministry of Education for implementation is designed to include the most important body of knowledge to be taught and acquired by every student in the educational system. In addition to the knowledge present in the mandatory curriculum it also includes the learning skills and social values necessary for the development of productive citizens who function adequately in both cognitive and affective domains. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Israeli society has radically moved from one in which social solidarity and concern for the welfare of the collective was of utmost importance to a post‐modern, individualised society in which collective values have all but disappeared. The result of such developments has been the significant widening of the social gaps between the different groups in the Israeli population. It is hoped that the values‐based mandatory curriculum will enhance increased communal and collective understanding within Israeli society while at the same time allowing different social groups to realise their own particular individualised social goals.