With the opening of the new school year, hundreds of thousands of children and teenagers celebrate a new beginning. The gates of preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, seminaries and yeshivas are all opening wide across the country.
Behind every gate is an entire world of values and beliefs.
One education system may emphasize critical thought and the ability to question things; another may emphasize respect for the authority of elders. One school system may educate toward self-fulfillment by fostering individualism and independence, while another is more inclined to uniformity. Some put innovation and progress above all else, while others also believe in the need to follow the path set out by previous generations.
These different approaches are all based on the belief that this is the essence of education, and all produce impressive graduates and exceptional students who accentuate the advantages and benefits of each system.
As we begin this school year, with the rich variety of the education on display, I would also like to ask: Are we able and willing to agree on educational values we all share, parents and teachers alike? I believe this is our duty to our children's futures. This is our way to ensure a future of Israeli hope for us all, secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox, Jews and Arabs – as one.
For me, the State Education Law of 1953 is still the best guideline for raising our children and grandchildren. In these turbulent times, as divisive winds swirl among us, it is wise to refer to this worthy law, which states: "The object of state education is to base elementary education in the state on the values of Jewish culture and the achievements of science, on love of the homeland and loyalty to the state and the Jewish people … and on striving for a society built on freedom, equality, tolerance, mutual assistance and love of mankind."
As we welcome the new school year, which we pray will be a successful and peaceful one, let these words be engraved in our hearts.
