Opening address to conference on racism and the education system in Israel
Sharaf Hassan, Director of ACRI’s Education Department, March 17, 2013.
First of all I’d like to congratulate all the participants in this important conference, which is being held at a time when manifestations of racism are greatly increasing in Israeli society: against Arabs, against foreign workers, against refugees, against those of Ethiopian and Mizrahi descent, against blacks, against the Orthodox, against women, against people suffering from mental disability and others.
Forty-seven years have passed since the United Nations declared that March 21 would be recognized as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and yet racism is still prevalent.
Racism today has evolved beyond the traditional conception that is based solely on race, and is now mainly manifested as social racism – classifying different groups in society as inferior and undeserving of being a part of the whole.
Racism today is not only overt and formalized, such as profiling practices at the airport and the amendment to the Citizenship Law that prevents the unification of Palestinian families. Racism is also, and perhaps primarily, covert and subtle, exemplified by the attempt to prevent Arabs and ultra-Orthodox from entering public parks in certain cities by imposing entry fees on certain groups and exempting other groups from paying. It is obvious that such a move is meant to act as a filtering mechanism to deter certain groups from participating in public activities. Another example is the Acceptance to Communities Law.
Racism has become much more active, causing young people to act violently and take pride in their racist perceptions. It says a lot about the social legitimacy given to racism in Israel these days.
At this conference where women, educators, education students and other participants who are concerned about the state of racism in Israel have all come together, we will discuss the role of the education system in combatting racism. We believe that what has been done up until now is not enough to stop the anti-democratic trend in society in general, and among the youth in particular. The education system must do much more in this field. The role of the education system is not just to deal with numbers and achievements, but first and foremost to educate towards democratic values and human rights.
Teachers in Israel are struggling to deal with racism in the classroom, as they never received suitable training in this field. In Israel, the number of teachers who deal with education towards democratic values is relatively low, in part because it is perceived as the responsibility of the civics teachers, and at best the role of the homeroom teacher or social education coordinator. It is also the case that teachers are measured according to concrete achievement tests and the quantity of material that they can pass along to their students in their varying fields.
We think otherwise.
Every teacher is also responsible for educating towards democratic values. Without such basic values, there is no genuine educational process. It is as though it is a neutral education, yet in reality it is far from neutral. This is because this ‘neutrality’ serves the status quo and society’s hegemonic notions. What is needed is a conceptual change: education towards democratic principles and against racism should appear in every school subject and in every component of the educational process. Suitable training for all teachers should be provided regarding how to deal with this disturbing phenomenon in schools.
This conference suggests a possible alternative to how to confront the phenomenon of racism. It will become clear throughout this conference that everything I have said is not just slogans, but a genuine possibility. We believe in teachers, and in the panel discussion that will begin shortly as well as in the discussion groups later today, you will all see how teachers who are committed to values can make a significant difference in the classroom and can incorporate democratic values into all disciplines.
A new government is currently being formed in Israel, and a new Education Minister is being appointed. We wish him success in promoting education for democracy and in closing the gaps in the education system.
We call on the new minister, MK Shai Piron, to place the struggle against racism and anti-democratic values at the forefront of the nation’s educational priorities. We call upon him to initiate a process to integrate democratic values education into all school subjects, to strengthen civics education and promote education for co-existence in the Israel.
Finally, I would like to thank all those who contributed to organizing this conference, from our partners at the Kibbutzim College of Education and my colleagues at the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. In particular the members of the steering committee led by Hadassah Tron from the Kibbutzim College. I would also like to thank the foundations that finance ACRI’s educational activities, which includes this important conference. The European Union, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and the Rosenzweig-Coopersmith Foundation.
I wish us all a successful conference with in-depth and interesting conversations.
Thank you.
Additional Materials
To read a review of the entire conference, including other speeches, click here.
