I was following the dialogue as it relates to Israel Education in the perspective of history, current event and the ability of the students to defend proudly Jewish heritage and the just cause of the state of Israel.
Ultimately the relevancy of the state of Israel to the Jews who live in the Diaspora and vice versa will become more pronounced as the Jewish students become less knowledgeable and more vulnerable to vicious and malicious propaganda which is designed to achieve an inner quarrel among the Jews themselves and among all the potential supporters of the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
Unfortunately, anti Jewish and anti Israeli propaganda is gaining steam in many parts of the world as it is reaching, in many places, willing accomplices, who do not need too much of convincing and who would not care about the accuracy of the information, due to the existing undercurrent of traditional anti Semitism. The other important groups will include the naive and those who are propelled by misguided ideology.
Neither of these groups will care about the level of the assimilation of the Jews into the local population or about their dissociation from the Jewish community in Israel or in the Diaspora, the same way that the German Nazis did not care about the totally secular and assimilated Jews of Germany. The fact is that the radicals targeted already Jews and Gentiles indiscriminately, in New York, London, Paris, Madrid and even in Sweden etc.
Therefore, when we put a major effort into teaching historical facts as they relate to Jewish History, Current Events and about the importance of building bridges among Jewish communities in Israel and in the Diaspora, we must include the understanding that each student and his family have "a skin" in the game. This fact by itself, will greatly increase their commitment to become more educated and as a consequence to get more involved in educating others about this most important issue.
Their ability to know the historical fact and to identify the malicious undercurrents, will improve their own chances to make the world into a better place, to the benefit of all people of good will.
Dr. Shmuel Katz
Bal-Harbour, Florida
