Should Ze'evi's Legacy Be Taught in the Schools? by Smadar Shiloni 4:04pm Wed Oct 2 '02 Minister of Education Limor Livnat's decision to devote an hour in all the schools next week to the legacy of former Minister Rehavaam Ze'evi (Gandhi) on the first anniversary of his assassination is stirring controversy in Israel's education system. print article Ynet (Yediot Ahronot) September 29, 2002 Smadar Shiloni Translation by Edeet Ravel Should Ze'evi's Legacy Be Taught in the Schools? Minister of Education Limor Livnat's decision to devote an hour in all the schools next week to the legacy of former Minister Rehavaam Ze'evi (Gandhi) on the first anniversary of his assassination is stirring controversy in Israel's education system. The Ministry of Education has issued a directive to all school principals instructing them to hold a one-hour teaching session on "the foundations of the Zionist project, to which the late R. Ze'evi made a fundamental contribution" this coming Sunday. The directive makes no mention of the late minister's political views. Ze'evi is considered the father of the concept of transfer. By contrast, a similar directive issued on the anniversary of the late Yitzhak Rabin's assassination included political speeches he made as Prime Minister. The directive was accompanied by teaching materials which, according to the Ministry of Education, embody Ze'evi's values, such as love of country and defending the security of the State. They also deal with his assassination. Opposition Leader Yossi Sarid, a former Minister of Education, told Yediot Ahronot he opposes the decision: "Ze'evi's legacy without the idea of transfer is like voluntary transfer -- there is no such thing. Gandhi and transfer are one and the same thing; you cannot separate them. Teaching Gandhi's legacy in effect places the stamp of approval on the idea of transfer, which has been discredited because it was considered offensive, and brings it into the educational system through the back door." On the other hand, Erez Frankel, chairman of the Parents Association, argues that Ze'evi's political views must be distinguished from his assassination: "Quite apart from his ideas, he served as a General in the IDF, he made a contribution to the State, and it is appropriate that young people know why he was assassinated. It is not necessary to mix politics and education. When we teach about Jabotinsky and Ben Gurion, we don't deal with their political legacies and their respective parties. I saw Gandhi at the Knesset wearing the missing soldiers' dog tags around his neck, and unfortunately one was a classmate of mine, so I saw his Zionism as worthy of admiration in a very personal way." Shlomi Elpaz, 45, a father of two students aged 10 and 15, sees no reason to omit Ze'evi's political views from the one-hour session: "I have no problem with this. We have many opinions in our country and it is appropriate that they all to be heard. The educators who are to teach this session are not meant to express their personal opinions on the subject but present the views of Ze'evi, who supported separation in order to bring security to the State of Israel." Arieh Barnea, principal of Hertzeliah high school in Tel Aviv, takes a middle view: "There are two sides to the subject: Gandhi as a general who made an important contribution to the State, and his ideas on transfer. As educators we will not hide anything from the children but the question is how to approach this. Just because we condemn a Minister's assassination doesn't mean we have to support mass expulsions. Our position is that we are opposed to a large-scale transfer of human beings as a violation of basic human rights. But we are talking about two different things, the assassination and transfer, which will be presented to the children separately." add your comments