Figure 1.--Here we see an Isreli boy named Tomer ready for his first day of school in Haifa. Note his huge book bag. The photos were taken in September 2005. Click on the image to see Tomer's school. The yellow writing on the wall says, "Shalom kittah 1" = "Peace (welcome) 1st class".

Jews have the longest surviving educational tradition in the world today. Education is stressed in the Torah (Pentateuch) and that tradition continued in Jewish communities of the Diaspora throughout the Roman Empire and subsequently Christendom and the Islamic world. It is one of the fundamntal reasons that the Jews have survived as a people. With the Disporah, Jewish education moves beyond the territory of Palestine/Israel, but the Israel page seems the best place to archive Jewish education in general. Modern Jewsish education began with the Eastern European cheder, one of the oldest continually functioning systems of primary education. Modern Israel has one of the finest school systems in the world. This is not surprising given the traditional Jewish respect and support for education. Surely one of the reasons that Jews managed to exist as a small minority in Chistian Europe and the Islamic Middle East was the education of their children. At a time when the vast majority of people throughout the Middle East and Europe were illiterate, Jewish children were taught to read and write, in part so they could read and study the Torah. In this regard they were similar to the Protestants that emerged from the Reformation. Thus it is no surprise that Israel from its foundation have given considerable attention to education. Thus Israel has the finest educational system in the Middle East. Some countries with oil-based economies like Saudi Arabia have built wonderful physical facilities, but none of the countries have achieved the same academic results. We do not yet have much information about Israeli schools. We do have pages on kibbutz child care and education, two interwoven activities. Isreali school children have not worn uniforms. Fashions were influenced by the generally European origins of most Isrealis. Early images mostly show boys wearing short pants. Climate was another factor. Fashions since the 1970s have generally been the same as the American-influenced pan-European fashions worn in Europe, again affected by the climate. A HBC reader describes the experiences at one school in 1979. We also note the first day of school at an Isreali primary school. The children all wear sport casual styles. Sandals seem very popular. We also see very large book packs. Hopefully our Israeli readers will provide us some information about Isreli schools and schoolwear.

Jewish Education

Jews have the longest surviving educational tradition in the world today. Education is stressed in the Torah (Pentateuch) and that tradition continued in Jewish communities of the Diaspora throughout the Roman Empire and subsequently Christendom and the Islamic world. It is one of the fundamntal reasons that the Jews have survived as a people. That is not to sy that Jewish litercy ws universal, but it seems higher than in most other cpmmunities throygh history. With the Dispora, Jewish education moves beyond the territory of Palestine/Israel, but the Israel page seems the best place to archive Jewish education in general. Modern Jewsish education began with the Eastern European cheder, one of the oldest continually functioning systems of primary education. Surely one of the reasons that Jews managed to exist as a small minority in Chistian Europe and the Islamic Middle East was the education of their children. At a time when the vast majority of people throughout the Middle East and Europe were illiterate, Jewish children were taught to read abd write, in part so they could read and study the Torah. In this regard they were similar to the Protestants that emerged from the Reformation.

Quality if Israel Education

Modern Israel has one of the finest school systems in the world. This is not surprising given the traditional Jewish respect and support for education. Thus it is no surprise that Israel from its foundation have given considerable attention to education. Thus Israel has the finest educational system in the Middle East. Some countries with oil-based economies like Saudi Arabia have built wonderful physical facilities, but none of the countries have achieved the same academic results.

The Kibbutz

We do not yet have much information about Israeli schools. We do have pages on kibbutz child care and education, two interwoven activities. Zionism had two fonding traditions. One was was religious--varius threads of Judaism. The other was socialism which was not favorably disposed toward Judaism. While rejecting or a least initerested in theology, the socialists who were the driving force in the Kibbutz Movement continued the Jewish focus on education. Not only did they see education as as important, but they had some radical ideas about the education to be provided the children of the kibbuz. Here there were variationb from kibbutz to kibbutz, but many common themes. The approach as communal education. The kibbutz communication took responsibility for both child care and education.

School Wear

Israeli school children have not worn uniforms. As far as we can tell there are virtually no exceptions. One possible exception is that we see some nursery schools that dressed the children alike. We note what looks like a nursery school in an unidentified kibbutz. The children, both boys and girls, are wearing rompers in the same material and color in the suspender and shortall style. Fashions were influenced by the European origins of many Israelis. Large numbers of Middle eastern Jews settled in Israel, especilly after 1948, but most came from urban areas where European fashios were common. Early images mostly show boys wearing short pants. The warm climate of the Levant is of course a factor. Fashions since the 1970s have generally been the same as the American-influenced pan-European fashions worn in Europe, again affected by the climate. The children all wear sport casual styles. Sandals seem very popular. We also see very large book packs. Hopefully our Israeli readers will provide us some information about Isreli schools and schoolwear.

Individual Schools

We do not yet hve much information on Israeli schools. We have found some images, but most do not identify the school. And we have very little other informtion about the schools. We do note Ben Shemen Youth Village, an agricultural boarding school in central Israel fonded in 1927. Agricultural training was very importnt to the Zionist movement. The school's first students were from Kaunas in Lithuania. Very few Lithuanian Jews would survive the Holocaust unless they got out of the country before World War II.

Peronal Experiences

A HBC reader describes the experiences at one school in 1979. We also note the first day of school at an Isreali primary school.

Israeli School Children as Arab Terror Targets

One of the unique aspects of Israeli education is that the country's school children are not only targets, but priority targets in the ingoing conflictg with the Arabs. In the history of War, this is the almost unique. We do not know of another country in wgich their school children became not only a target, but a primmary target, The only other example we can think of in history is the NAZI Holocaust in which children and the elderly were priority target. The Arabs target the school children because schools are a soft target and because killing children has a greater public relations impact than any other potential terror target. The greatest school 'success' for Arab terrorists was the Ma'alot massacre (May 1974). Arab terrorists seized control of the Ma'alot School in Israel and took 115 children and teachers. Over 25 hostages were murdered. Terror wrriors of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) managed to covertly enter Israel from Lebanon. They attacked a van, killing two Israeli Arab women injuring a third . They then entered an apartment in Ma'alot, a small town in northern Israel. There they killed a couple and their 4-year-old son. Then they struck at the Netiv Meir Elementary School and took more than 115 people hotage, including 105 children (May 15, 1974). The hostages were mostly teenagers from a high school in Safad on a Gadna field trip and were spending the night in Ma'alot. Apparently the terrorists were hoping to seize a larger number of younger children. The DFLP terrorists issued demands for the release of 23 Palestinian militants held in Israeli prisons, threatening to kill the students. The students were forced to sit on the floor at gunpoint, with explosive charges between them.Afrter a tense standoff, a unit of the Golani Brigade stormed the school (May 16). The terrorists killed children with grenades and automatic weapons. They managed to kill 25 hostages (including 22 children) injured 68 others. These attacks have become less common as Israel ha hardened its borders, especially the Ssecurity Wall, separating Israel from the volitile West Bank. The Arabs have become more propangnda savy in recent years and have sought to capitalize on unintended civilans killed or wounded when Israel strikes back after Arab assaults such as firing rockets into Israel..

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