Education - The Way To Mend Our World

 

 “There is only one way to change the world, and that is through education.” – Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

 

As a person who was reared in a Jewish home, in Yisrael, education was one of the most prominent values of my upbringing. It was not merely about formal schooling or about gaining knowledge that shaped my childhood, adolescent and my maturing years. It was the kind of education that aimed at preparing me to live as close as possible to our Jewish code of ethics, to attaining wisdom and personal as well as national responsibility. It prepared me, unbeknown to me, towards becoming a teacher and an educator, myself.

Although the circumstances that pushed me to earning a teaching certificate and becoming a teacher occurred at a very turbulent time in the history of Yisrael and were, thus, beyond my control (https://wingnsonawildflight.blogspot.com/2019/06/that-second-most-important-day.html), I am grateful to having received such a magnificent gift. The skills and the benefits that the teaching vocation have awarded me are immeasurable.

Education, I reckon, should aim at teaching facts and building awareness. It should also help people see the world more clearly and objectively as well as help them understand others more deeply. Above all, I believe that education is about encouraging people to question what they think they know and helping them gain the courage to learn something new at any age.

And this is where the quote of Rabbi Sacks, ZT”L, above comes into play with regards to an important event that has recently taken place in Yisrael.

As many of you know, Yisrael intercepted a flotilla carrying representatives of several countries whose goal was to infiltrate the naval blockade over Gaza. Yisrael’s moves to bring the event to peaceful ending, by providing the activists on board with food and water, was applauded by many. Yisrael displayed what our Jewish tradition refers to as “Ahavat Chinam,” unconditional love.

However, what caught my attention, even more, was the directive issued by Minister of Defense, Yisrael Katz. He instructed the IDF to show the movie exposing the horrors of the October 7th pogrom, as documented by the Hamas terrorists themselves, to the activists. His motive, I believe, stemmed from the supposition that they were ignorant about the depth of the horrendous barbarities committed on that day. In his view, they needed to be educated on it. Whether that goal was achieved or not, only time will tell.

From personal experience, though, I can assure you that, in some cases, such a strategy does work. Here is one such example.

It happened in the early 2000's. I lived in New Zealand and was on the Board of the small Jewish community, in Christchurch. At that time, Yisrael was, unfortunately, experiencing what is known as, "The Second Intifada." One day, to try and cease Palestinian terror attacks against Yisraelis, the IDF entered Gaza. The New Zealand media, which has, generally, not been Yisraeli friendly, portrayed the incursion in a negative light.

The following day, our chairperson found a very offensive message on our synagogue’s answering machine. The caller, among other curse words, suggested that “Hitler should have finished the job.” The police, following our complaint, traced the call to the home of an elderly kiwi businessman who resided in a very exclusive area of the city.

The man explained that he was upset with the Yisraeli display of power over the “defenseless Gazans” (his words). When the police officer, handling the case, asked us whether we would like to press charges, I objected. Something in me suggested that the culprit was not fully aware of the extent of the atrocities committed by the Nazis against the Jews. He needed some education on the subject, I felt.

I, therefore, proposed that instead of going to court, he should read a few books, which I sent him, about the Shoah. I also suggested watching “Schindler's List.”

A few weeks later, we received a most heartwarming letter from the man. There were not enough words in the English language, for him, to express his remorse over the message and apology for his ignorance. These were wrapped in his deep gratitude for the education and for helping him have a better understanding of Jewish history, coupled with a promise to do all he can to help educate others and ensure that history's lessons are passed on. 

The Year I was Introduced to "Arabic" and "Middle Eastern"

 

 “We in the West have been civilized and safe for so long that we have forgotten the concept of ‘the enemy.’” – Lee Harris

 

Lately, especially in the wake of the October 7^th horrific events, we hear many Yisraeli  commentators stressing the need to learn to speak “Arabic,” or “Middle Eastern.” It is safe to state that the reference is rarely to languages. Rather, it is a call that points to adopting the modus operandi and frame of thought of Yisrael’s enemies and the enemies of the West. This, according to them, is of utmost importance, particularly when considering the geopolitical changes that engulf our fragile region and the unstable world.

“An enemy,” according to Lee Harris, as he states in the preface to his book Civilization and Its Enemies, “is someone willing to die in order to kill you.” Though Harris eases the definition to someone who merely wants to kill you or harm you, I believe that in the Middle East, at least, especially after witnessing the October 7^th horrific acts committed by a vicious barbaric enemy, the former definition fits best. “Arabic” and “Middle Eastern” are the only “languages” Yisrael’s enemies speak, the only two they understand.

Fortunately for me, I was first introduced to these “languages” many years ago, albeit I didn’t label them as such. It was in 1977. I was then working on my graduate degree, at UC Berkeley.

As a staunch Labour Party activist, at that time, I was still mourning the victory of Menachem Begin, several months earlier. I was so upset that I refused to watch Yisraeli news, distanced myself from Yisraeli politics and concentrated on my studies.

Not that night, though. Something pulled me to the small black and white T.V. and I turned it on. I could not believe my eyes. There, on the screen, in front of me, was President Sadat of Egypt debarking a plane in Yisrael.

After rubbing my eyes in disbelief, the questions started popping up. Had I not read that Begin was, an extremist, a war monger? Hadn’t we been told that he hated Arabs? “What is going on here? I kept asking myself. I was dumbfounded.

It was then that I decided to embark on a mission to check and study the profile and demographic structure of Begin’s voters. “Surely,” I remember thinking to myself, “they must know something that I don’t.”

As I delved into the research which included much reading as well as speaking to his supporters, both in Yisrael and the U.S., I learned that most of Begin’s electorate were people who came from Muslim or Arabic speaking countries. Many were refugees from those countries. They had lived among those who call for our demise. These voters understood and spoke “Arabic” and “Middle eastern.” They were well familiar with the “Arabic” and “Middle Eastern” way of life, and what fuels those who are reared in the lap of these two “languages.”

I, on the other hand, a daughter of two Lithuanian Jews who was raised in a Western society and has never lived in any environment that comes even close to that of most of Begin’s voters. I was clueless about their culture and way of life. They taught me, in what I might describe as, a “crash course” all they knew about our enemies’ behavioural patterns. The lesson was painful. It burst the ideological bubble which had been my habitat for several years before. Their words illustrated to me that all those I felt sorry for, those that I supported in their efforts to establish a state, and, on whose behalf, I demonstrated, had one aim only, annihilate me and my fellow Jews.  Those I spoke to, all echoed the same message, “We are facing a malicious enemy who will use any means to eradicate us. The only way to deal with our enemy, according to them, is “with a mighty hand and a strong fist.” Begin, in their opinion, was the only one who understood and spoke their language.

In 1979, I officially became a Likudnik. I have never looked back.

The sooner we, Yisraelis, master these “languages,” and utilize their method of operation in the political, military and propaganda arenas, the more invincible we will become. This is of utmost importance, especially when it comes to the pursuit of Peace. In the words of  Dr. Kedar, “Peace in the Middle East is only given to an invincible state.”

Shavua tov, Am Yisrael and a great week to all.