Rabbi Avi Gisser, of Ofrah, who also serves as the Chairman of the Public-Religious Education Council, spoke with Arutz-7's Hebrew newsmagazine on Thursday.
"Everthing that has happened over the past two years, " Rabbi Gisser said, "especially the disengagement, the uprooting and expulsion, and most of all, what happened at Amona - all of this certainly leaves very heavy scars. The students were very involved in these events, and some of them were uprooted themselves, and when they have to learn about proper government in Israel, they simply are unable to really believe in it."
Many of the students, too, were "offered" a first-hand and inside look at the justice and prison systems over the past several months. "I saw real evil," said Yaakov F., 22, while others talked of the judges being "rubber stamps" for the prosecution's positions. Many youths were beaten by police not only at Amona, but also in pre-expulsion street protests.
"Look," Rabbi Gisser said, "if the teacher would say to them that they're simply learning science fiction, and they just have to know the facts for their matriculation exams, then OK. But if they want to take it seriously, then they are in a great crisis.... Teachers are reporting that the students are cynical towards the subject matter, don't care about it, and don't show up for classes. This is because the subject is so loaded, and appears to them to be some kind of ideological payment to the government - when they themselves have been hurt and are still pained by Israel's democracy."
"What do you suggest?" asked Arutz-7's Yigal Shok of Rabbi Gisser.
"I think that all the government institutions must be made aware of the rotten fruit that has resulted from the events of the past two years. In addition, they must be called to order and made to improve their actions. Regarding the students, we must explain the ideals behind democracy, and that it's the least bad of all the alternatives. However, it must be emphasized that even the best values can be abused, and that when democracy is abused, then for sure the results are what we see. Our guiding principle is to distinguish between the values themselves and they way they are implemented."
Rabbi Gisser said that the Public Religious Education Council has long been demanding that the one civics textbook used for the last five years should be changed to reflect the values of the public religious network.
"Most ironically," he said, "the Arab schools have been allowed to make changes in certain subjects regarding the Jewish state and minorities' rights, while we have not received such permission, even though civics must be taught in a particular manner in religious schools. We hope that the current crisis will in fact lead to the necessary changes."
"Everthing that has happened over the past two years, " Rabbi Gisser said, "especially the disengagement, the uprooting and expulsion, and most of all, what happened at Amona - all of this certainly leaves very heavy scars. The students were very involved in these events, and some of them were uprooted themselves, and when they have to learn about proper government in Israel, they simply are unable to really believe in it."
Many of the students, too, were "offered" a first-hand and inside look at the justice and prison systems over the past several months. "I saw real evil," said Yaakov F., 22, while others talked of the judges being "rubber stamps" for the prosecution's positions. Many youths were beaten by police not only at Amona, but also in pre-expulsion street protests.
"Look," Rabbi Gisser said, "if the teacher would say to them that they're simply learning science fiction, and they just have to know the facts for their matriculation exams, then OK. But if they want to take it seriously, then they are in a great crisis.... Teachers are reporting that the students are cynical towards the subject matter, don't care about it, and don't show up for classes. This is because the subject is so loaded, and appears to them to be some kind of ideological payment to the government - when they themselves have been hurt and are still pained by Israel's democracy."
"What do you suggest?" asked Arutz-7's Yigal Shok of Rabbi Gisser.
"I think that all the government institutions must be made aware of the rotten fruit that has resulted from the events of the past two years. In addition, they must be called to order and made to improve their actions. Regarding the students, we must explain the ideals behind democracy, and that it's the least bad of all the alternatives. However, it must be emphasized that even the best values can be abused, and that when democracy is abused, then for sure the results are what we see. Our guiding principle is to distinguish between the values themselves and they way they are implemented."
Rabbi Gisser said that the Public Religious Education Council has long been demanding that the one civics textbook used for the last five years should be changed to reflect the values of the public religious network.
"Most ironically," he said, "the Arab schools have been allowed to make changes in certain subjects regarding the Jewish state and minorities' rights, while we have not received such permission, even though civics must be taught in a particular manner in religious schools. We hope that the current crisis will in fact lead to the necessary changes."