Israel’s uber-patriotic education ministry, under the guidance of Zio-commissar Naftali Bennett, has wagged a finger at Israel’s pre-schools, claiming they’re not up to snuff when it comes to inculcating “Zionist” values in the nation’s youth. Lawyers for the ministry have decreed that every class must have a “patriotic corner” in which children presumably may contemplate the greatness of Zionism and the Jewish people. All such sacred spaces shall have an Israeli flag and picture of President Reuven Rivlin. All of this is slightly ironic since Judaism frowns on turning human beings into quasi-deities (since there already is a competing religion which has done this!). I strongly doubt Pres. Rivlin is much enamored of the idea either as he appears to be quite a modest, decent individual.
Nor is the ministry doing a soft-sell on this project. It has demanded that each school inform it that the school is in compliance. It’s not clear what the punishment will be for refusing: cutting off the supply of stuffies and Play-doh?
Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox pre-schools appear to be exempt from the ordinance. Presumably, the secular state forgives trespasses by those among the Orthodox who reject the existence of the State itself as an affront to Jewish belief. No word on whether Israeli Palestinian 3 year-olds are expected to salute the flag and kiss Rivlin’s picture in their segregated schools.
Believe it or not, the origins of this monstrosity are in a Freedom of Information Act request from some nudnik asking how many pre-schools do not offer patriotic fealty. As a result, the lawyers (God bless ’em!) decided everyone should be required to swear allegiance.
firstly, the picture at the left top has nothing to do with the article. it is totally out of context and probably taken from some army training exhibition. it is an American made Barrett sniper’s rifle and not at all germane to the subject.
in as much as i attended school{grammar and high school} in the US we pledged allegiance{fealty} on a daily basis to America so why make a mountain out of an ant hill?
maybe Trump should reinstitute it so citizens should understand that it is the American way that when elections occur one party always loses and the losers must accept that and not be a bunch of cry babies.
“I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America…”
@ Ben: Are you saying that U.S. preschoolers recite the Pledge? Not in any preschool I’ve ever seen (& I’ve seen many).
The U.S. department of education doesn’t ask for a list of preschools which refuse to make preschoolers recite the pledge. In fact, most preschools in the U.S. don’t do it at all.
One just needs to remember that 5 year old kids in Israel are in preschool while in the USA they are in Kindergarten, which is part of the elementary school and thus is more likely to have the pledge issue.
@ Amico: So you’re arguing that 5 yr olds may be expected to pledge fealty to President Rivlin (or even know who he is) while 3 yr olds shouldn’t be?
No, I am saying that a 5 year old in the USA is at the same age as a preschool kid in Israel and may be expected to pledge to the flag etc.
As much as I am concerned this is all ridiculous. This type of patriotic drama is something that always amused me about the USA
@Amico: You clearly know nothing about kindergartens here. 5 yr Olds do not pledge allegiance.
And you seem to have forgotten that the “patriotic drama” in this story is in Israel, not the U.S. we don’t indoctrinate students nearly as much as you do.
for a moment I thought maybe my experience as a 5 year old kid in the states (I was there for half a year) was imaginary, but I guess not:
Arkansas, A.C.A. § 6-16-108 “The State Board of Education shall adopt a policy to require that public school students in grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12) participate in a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance during the first class of each school day. …The policy shall provide that no student shall be compelled to recite the Pledge of Allegiance if the student or the student’s parent or legal guardian objects to the student’s participating in the exercise on religious, philosophical, or other grounds.”
South Carolina, Code 1976 § 59-1-455 “Beginning with the 1991-92 school year, all public school students, commencing with grades kindergarten through and including high school, shall during the course of each school day’s activities at a specific time which must be designated by the local school say the Pledge of Allegiance”
http://www.google.co.il/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwiqh5Keq_jRAhUGliwKHfEPCpEQFggfMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia2.newsobserver.com%2Fcontent%2Fmedia%2F2016%2F3%2F22%2FPledge%2520of%2520Allegiance%25203.22.16.docx&usg=AFQjCNGKLlT3hO86JxHiPf7qFD7s4VYV9Q&sig2=aP9M7OVAA-NOV0pFiZKzBQ
Again, this is all nonsense as much as I am concerned because in Israel it will never fly. People are too cynical about these kind of things.
@ Amico: Arkansas and South Carolina, among the most right-wing states in the U.S. are not representative of the whole. I’ve lived in many far more populous states and am familiar with public schools in each one. NONE had kindergartners recite the Pledge.
[comment deleted: if you’ve published three or more comments in any particular thread, you’ve published one too many. That means you’ve repeated something you’ve already written. Or you’re beating a dead horse. Don’t beat dead horses. It’s inhumane for all the rest of us. In other words, you are done in this thread.]
A nonsense no one will take seriously
And I have two pre school kids. No such corner exists or will exist.
As for the Ultra Orthodox schools – they do what ever they want as it is. Including not teaching English and Mathematics.
And they sure as hell don’t have a patriotic corner.