Israel Children Learn About Democracy, Peace, Israel's 60th Birthday

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem ----- May 20, 2008 ....... From Metulla in the north to Eilat in the south, every school in Israel is teaching their students the meaning of Israel 60th birthday. Students of all ages and grades have been assigned a variety of tasks from collecting photographs of family, making posters, creating green environmental exhibits to learning how to use free speech on radio, TV and in the newspapers.

The Israel News Agency entered a secondary school today in the central Israel town of Ra'anana and recorded exactly what the children were up to.

 

Many children were selected to perform at Israel 60th birthday anniversary celebrations. To sing, dance and entertain the public from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Kiryat Shomona and Sderot. A few from the American International School in Even Yehuda were even lucky enough to sing for US President George W. Bush during his historic visit to Israel and attendance at the Presidential Facing Tomorrow Conference in Jerusalem.

In fact, the theme of Israel's 60th birthday was "children" and the future.

Thousands of children enjoyed family picnics and barbecues, as Israel national parks and nature reserves opened the grounds up for free for all children under 18 years of age.

On the eve of Independence Day, Israel's children were provided with huge displays of light, fireworks, music, lasers and special effects.

For those kids who made it to the beaches in Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Hadera and Hafia, they witnessed the Israel's Defense Forces salute the country with aerial, naval and parachute-jumping displays.

To strengthen the relationship between the general public and the IDF, the 60th Anniversary Administration, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the IDF, organized a large variety of events. Among these are the hosting of Israel citizens in military bases and museums, and at monuments for fallen soldiers.

There was a fun family event at the Police Academy in Kiryat Ata.

The Israel police demonstrated its advanced capabilities in investigation and criminal identification, the facilities and devices it uses in its fight against crime, the skills of its special units, and the use of animals in the fight against drugs and the search for missing persons.

And there was the International Bible Contest for students that has become a tradition from Israel's 10th anniversary.

But perhaps the most fun that Israel children shared among one another was inside the walls of their schools. They worked in teams to produce colorful and creative exhibits. They produced wonderful displays and in doing so learned about Israel's many achievements over the past 60 years. How Israel was born from the ashes of the Europe Holocaust and turned the desert sand into green plants and trees. They were and are being exposed to the elements of democracy, how the Knesset works, who was Ben-Gurion, David Marcus, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Theodore Herzl, Ann Frank, the Labor and Likud parties, voting, free speech and how to protect the environment.

Today, not much different than the children who trekked upon the Exodus in 1948, many Israel children now come to Ben-Gurion Airport on aliyah with their families to realize and maintain a dream. To restore and claim Israel's birthright, its historical greatness from the times of Masada and Gamla to learning about Entebbe and Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon.

But perhaps of greatest value, the children are being taught that in a free democracy, the citizens must not only exercise their freedoms but must also respect other people with tolerance and understanding. To respect other Jews regardless of their origin, color of their skin and religious observance.
To respect Israeli Arabs and Christians.

In contrast to many of the children of the soon to be state of Palestine from the West Bank to Gaza, there were no hateful Hamas Mickey Mouse or other animated Disney characters preaching hatred, supporting suicide bombers and inciting children to violence against those who are not Islamic.

Israel children grow up to fight in the Israel Defense Forces not due to instilled hatred but rather to physcially defend themselves, their family and their nation. They learn about the ultimate sacrifice made to maintain freedom and democracy. The many wars for which Israel was forced to fight from the Independence War to the Sinai Campaign, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the two Lebanon Wars and Israel's daily battle against Islamic terrorism.

They learned that the Palestinians were given the chance to have their own state back in 1948 but chose to join invading Arab armies on the promise of owning all Jewish land. And today these Israeli students realize that Israel is not occupying anyone or any land but no different than 1948 Iran is pledging to wipe Israel off the map and as such keeping the Palestinians in poverty. That Iran is creating a tragic situation through the use of its terror puppets in Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.

Israel children are being exposed to democracy and the highest moral values. Israel children will be among the first to help their Arab neighbors realize a better quality of life - something that Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria choose to ignore. But they know that they can only do so only after they stop seeing Jews and Christians as infidels but rather as good neighbors, friends who also share the same food, beaches parks and weather.

It will be our children - Israel's future, who will grow up ready to defend themselves but also ready to make peace. To trade bullets, bombs and tears for bread, butter and smiles.

Golda Meir said it best when meeting Egypt President Sadat in Jerusalem: "We can forgive you for killing our sons. But we will never forgive you for making us kill yours."

Israel's sons are growing up in an enlightened Jewish culture. Israel's schools and professional, underpaid and over worked teachers deserve our greatest thanks and appreciation.


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