Comments on: Can we teach a dual narrative?

By: Yishai Kohen

Yishai Kohen — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:15:32 +0000

Let's all just sing "Kumbaya" and ignore reality.

The Bible? It's SO one-sided. We need to look at the Exodus from the Egyptians' point of view, and the conquest of the land of Israel from the Canaanite point of view.

We should also try to "understand" the Crusades, the Inquisition, the pogroms, and yes, the Holocaust, from the other side. If we just understand where they're coming from, then the world will be full of rainbows and unicorns and sweet little puppy dogs.

And with Purim coming up, of course we should start with trying to "understand" Amalek. Maybe we can be friends with them- even marry them.

Mr. Kronish: Time to wake up.

By: Emilia Chisholm

Emilia Chisholm — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:34:37 +0000

That is one of the saddest things I have heard.To use children in this way is cruel. My son went to Ganon at the Jewish Center for three years. He was taught in the Jewish way of life from an early age. His best friends are still from when he was a small tike at the school. The issues that surround the way of thinking of moral equivalency seem to not apply. Why is it that lives of children don't mean anything anymore? This is not a fair fight, this is war. You don't hurt children under any circumstances. Mothers know that from inside the depths of their being. Fathers would give their lives to protect their children. So, Howard I'm sure you think that I am just spouting offabout something I know nothing about. The only thing I know for sure is that I am a mother and children are off bounds. Makes me feel sick.

By: Michael Farro

Michael Farro — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:43:31 +0000

The Israeli narrative (although I can only comment from the university level), is by and large approaching the the historical facts of the matter. Class after class that I have taken from departments ranging from Middle Eastern Studies, to International Relations, to even Geography, has tackled many of the old myths that made up our narrative, and went to the facts of the matter. Our "new historians" are largely responsible for this. I think given a little while longer, this will trickle down to the lower levels of the educational system, simply because those that are being educated this way now, will educate in the future according to the way they learned the history, regardless of whether or not it shows up in the standard textbook.
The Palestinians, who I do not generalize about, label, and so on, and whose history I have learned from top-notch professors and academic texts, are not going to abandon their narrative. In fact it may only get more extreme. The mantra of "armed Jewish gangs stole our country and forced each and every one of us from our homes" is not going to end. They will continue to view terrorists as their heroes and martyrs and honor their memories. Furthermore, I am of the belief, that after being granted statehood, we will see them build a museum to rival Yad Vashem, for the portrayal of this narrative.

By: Howard Fox

Howard Fox — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 10:15:43 +0000

It is a well-worn cliche, that "in order to live with the other in peace, we need to really deeply understand how he or she actually thinks and lives." Like any slogan it can come back and bite you in the ass.
For example, my wife and I sent out son to a mixed Arab/Jewish school in the neighboring Arab village. I believed and still believe that my son come from Wadi Ara and should feel at home in his home, with his neighbors. Sadly, one day, after the death of Arafat, the kids sat down to discuss the man and his legacy. I my learned that day that his closest friend, an Arab, viewed not only Arafat as a hero, but also Bin Laden. My son questioned how he could love a man whose intent was to kill Jews? That was the end of my son's attendance at the school, he wanted out.
When playing with peace and education, we must always note that we wish our enemies to be, is not always what they are like.
All in all this was but another example of moral equivalency. The difference between Israel and her neighbors is that Israel does not intentionally target children.

By: Salomon Mizrahi

Salomon Mizrahi — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 06:20:15 +0000

If everything is narrative…then what is true? The Jews say that there was a Holocaust, the Iranians and many other historians say there was not such a thing…
Gulags? Comministss say there were no gulags… only reeducation camps…Two narratives..
Slavery? there was no slavery in US…There were invited workers from Africa…
Ron, my narrative is that your logic is completely flawed…

By: Zsofi Zsilinszky

Zsofi Zsilinszky — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:35:37 +0000

Dear Rabbi,
the knowledge of "full truth" is not available to man, and I don't just mean it in a religious sense, but also in the context of history. There is no such thing as objective history without narratives. History IS narrative. Even things like where to begin to tell the story of the Israeli-Arab conflict is a matter of narrative. Do you begin in 1948, or in the time of the Yishuv, or with Islamic conquest in the Middle Ages — what is the objective truth in where to begin a story? You can't eliminate the narrative, the framework from history. The only option is to construct a relatively more truthful and more decent story, or a less truthful one.

And the narratives of Israelis and Palestinians today are not equally truthful. One is more objective than the other — you know which one it is. I would support the teaching of the Palestinian virtual history for Israeli children, but only with making it clear how it is less objective, and therefore how it is more harmful (for Arabs and Jews alike) than the Israeli narrative. That would be truly educational. But saying that both versions are rooted in ideology therefore both are equally wrong misses a very important point about the nature of historic narratives.

By: Shlomo Toren

Shlomo Toren — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:43:11 +0000

"I and many other people in Israel and Palestine who are familiar with the situation here for the past several decades could have saved the US State Department a lot of money and the researchers a lot of time by telling them that this would be the conclusion of the report."

Perhaps because they are well acquainted with Professor Daniel Bar-Tal of Tel Aviv University.