in conjunction with:
The Israel Ministry of Education,
Culture and Sport 
Key Theme for 5757 and 5758:
"The Centenary of the first Zionist
Congress
&
Fifty Years since the Establishment of the State of Israel"
Director-General Circular
5. curricular Structure / I. General
The themes of "The Centenary of the First Zionist Congress" and "Fifty
years since the Establishment of the State of Israel" afford the educational
system an opportunity to address an important area of study. Two of the
major directions are outlined below:
1. Ideological considerations
The exploration of national and value-related issues, grounded in the
imparting of knowledge, where consideration must be given to how to best
address this at each age, while simultaneously adapting approaches to
suit students' individual abilities.
2. In-depth experiences and emotions
Through encounters -- with a particular location, person, photograph,
story, poem -- indeed, anything that represents and conveys a period in
the history of the Jewish people in the last hundred years.
Through these, we aim to attach students to their people and
country, through a bond formed by love - not blind love, but
one which is both realistic and clear-sighted. Perhaps this is where the
difference lies between the approach used to transmit educational messages
in the early years of the State of Israel and the approach of the educational
system today. Love at an older age is more stable, more mature and it
is one which will endure. Deficiencies can be recognized, but the fundamental
emotion of love is retained -- and that is what counts.
Today's educational system must strive to inspire in its students the
feeling of mature love for the Jewish people, for its country, its state,
its culture, its Torah, and its heritage. There are many ways of achieving
this goal.
These two years represent an opportunity for the educational
system to galvanize Israeli and Diaspora society, through the
intermediary of the parents and the communities in which the students
live. It is a golden opportunity to learn through older people about the
past, and to ask young and old alike, "Where are we going now?", "What
is the new vision of today?", "What are our future goals?".
A. Sequence
It is suggested that a two-year "work program" be drawn up, with a particular
sequence to be chosen as consistent with the local educational team's
priorities.
- One option for the first year would be to address all areas of study
up to the founding of the State, followed, in the second year by examining
the same areas from 1948 up to the present (immigration, settlement,
defense, and so on).
- Another possibility could be to choose several sub-themes, and divide
the content accordingly, so that in the first year some of these thematic
areas would be dealt with over the entire century, while other aspects
would be addressed in the second year.
- Yet a third possibility could be to adopt a spiral learning approach,
whereby each topic could appear in more than one unit, depending on
its primary features.
For example:
- Dilemmas
Religion-state relations (to separate religion and state or not); Israel-Diaspora
relations (to make relations closer or to ignore the other party); yerida/emigration
(to condemn emigration from Israel, or to encourage ties with emigrants
so that they return home).
- Phenomena
- Emigration
waves of immigration; army reserve duty; Zionist youth movements; the
kibbutz and the kvutza as a form of settlement; the IDF as a people's
army; the pioneers.
- Concepts
Utopias in Zionism; the Declaration of Independence; yerida; aliya.
- Processes
Immigrant absorption; revival of the Hebrew language; peace process.
- Values
Immigrant absorption; pioneering; volunteering; living together; peace.
- Problems
Interethnic relations in Israel; Jewish-Arab relations; religious-secular
relations
- Ideals
a light unto the nations; a spiritual center; a halachic state; a State
of and for all its citizens
There are many, many - indeed, limitless - options, and it can be assumed
that the most effective solutions will be those which the educational
teams will brainstorm and develop for themselves.
B. Timetabling
On a staff basis, it is highly recommended that staff review the planning
for the coming two years, together with the overall line selected and
the essential groundwork for logistical planning.
Schools can approach the annual theme in a variety of ways and timings.
Some will choose to spread it out over the entire year; others to compress
it into a set period (a week, month, two months); alternatively, it can
be integrated into the various disciplines, or special time-slots may
be allocated to the theme - and there are many other variants.
Because of the importance of the subject, and because of its value-related
and educational aspects, it would seem preferable to address the theme
continuously over the coming two years throughout the entire school year,
with certain high points in the course of the year. In doing so, it should
be borne in mind that an educational process does not take place instantly,
the messages being absorbed gradually by students, if given in the right
"measure".
In addition to the separate classes specifically on the subjects connected
with Zionism, it is highly recommended that the subject be integrated
through an inter-disciplinary approach. Here advice can be sought from
the subject specialists and their supervisors.
Another highly recommended approach is to integrate the annual outing,
shorter excursions, and vocational or leisure activities into the the
central theme, whether your school is in Israel or the Diaspora. Admittedly,
this comes more naturally in Israel itself, and will be enhanced if your
school has a study or exchange program in Israel, since practically every
single site and location in Israel has some connection to the history
of Zionism. It is possible to plan itineraries for outings that take in
a number of relationships between events and places.
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