TY - JOUR
T1 - Education for democracy in Israel
T2 - Structural impediments and basic dilemmas
AU - Neuberger, Benyamin
PY - 2007/4
Y1 - 2007/4
N2 - Research in Israel has shown a high level of non-democratic, and even anti-democratic, attitudes among Israeli high-school students. Similar findings in the adult population indicate that this is not a "childhood disorder" that evaporates with age, but something which could pose a threat to Israel's young and fragile democracy. The article analyses the constraints on and dilemmas of effective democratic education in Israel. These impediments include the non-democratic countries of origin of the vast majority of Israel's Jewish and Arab population (Eastern Europe and the Arab Middle East); the partially non-democratic political traditions of the main political camps (the Left, the Right and the Orthodox); the lack of a liberal-democratic written constitution as an educational tool; the absence of a national consensus (especially among the political elites); the problems posed by occupied territories under military government; the salience of the security issue, which leads teachers and parents to perceive democracy and human rights as a luxury in the context of war and terror; the problem of religion and state, and the attitude of Israel's Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox that in a Jewish-democratic state, Jewish should come first and democratic second; and finally examples of non-democratic behaviour of the political leadership.
AB - Research in Israel has shown a high level of non-democratic, and even anti-democratic, attitudes among Israeli high-school students. Similar findings in the adult population indicate that this is not a "childhood disorder" that evaporates with age, but something which could pose a threat to Israel's young and fragile democracy. The article analyses the constraints on and dilemmas of effective democratic education in Israel. These impediments include the non-democratic countries of origin of the vast majority of Israel's Jewish and Arab population (Eastern Europe and the Arab Middle East); the partially non-democratic political traditions of the main political camps (the Left, the Right and the Orthodox); the lack of a liberal-democratic written constitution as an educational tool; the absence of a national consensus (especially among the political elites); the problems posed by occupied territories under military government; the salience of the security issue, which leads teachers and parents to perceive democracy and human rights as a luxury in the context of war and terror; the problem of religion and state, and the attitude of Israel's Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox that in a Jewish-democratic state, Jewish should come first and democratic second; and finally examples of non-democratic behaviour of the political leadership.
KW - Arab minority in Israel
KW - Democratic and non-democratic traditions
KW - Education and democracy
KW - Education for democracy
KW - Education without constitution
KW - Israel
KW - Israeli democracy
KW - Occupied territories
KW - Political leadership and democracy
KW - Religion and state
KW - Security, democracy and education
KW - The national right and the orthodox
KW - Traditions of the zionist left
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33847224835&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2006.10.013
DO - 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2006.10.013
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AN - SCOPUS:33847224835
SN - 0738-0593
VL - 27
SP - 292
EP - 305
JO - International Journal of Educational Development
JF - International Journal of Educational Development
IS - 3
ER -