Kotel
KotelKobi Finkler

The students of a Negev school were supposed to visit the Western Wall and the City of David archaeological site during a class trip, until a parent complained that visiting Jewish heritage sites was equivalent to "putting politics in the classroom.

The parent's complaint caused the school to change the route on the eve of the trip and have the students visit the IDF cemetery at Mount Herzl which also has an interactive museum with the story of Theodore Herzl and the beginnings of modern political Zionism - instead of the Western Wall.

The incident was exposed by Negev Radio, which also sought the attention of the chairman of the Knesset Education Committee, MK Yaakov Margi (Shas).

In response, MK Margi sent a letter to Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home), in which he complained about the school's decision. "In my opinion, changing the route and preventing students from visiting the Western Wall and the City of David undermines our legitimacy at the Western Wall and the City of David, and no one can appeal [the school's decision]. I regret that the school principal did not stand firm against that parent's [complaints]."

"I ask you to clarify the matter, and to make certain that such cases will not be repeated," Margi wrote to Bennett. "The visit to the Western Wall is a significant visit for many students who do not visit the Western Wall during the year."