No loyalty without citizenship

In recent years, I have devoted myself to developing the field of civics education. In a sense, this brings my own story full circle. As a child in the Haredi education system, civics was not part of my world. We did not learn about the separation of powers, the structure of government, human rights, or the role of the citizen in a democracy. Only later did I encounter all of that. Perhaps precisely for that reason, I find myself returning to these questions today, with the conviction that civics is one of the most important subjects the education system can offer the next generation. There is no loyalty without citizenship.

And yet in today’s education system, civics is not in the front row. It is doubtful whether it is even in the second. There are two main reasons for this.

The first is the notion that the value of an education system is measured almost entirely by its ability to produce workers for high-tech and technology. In such a reality, every discipline that does not fall under the STEM banner is pushed to the margins. It makes no difference that the “People of the Book” was built over generations by thinkers, historians, scholars, writers, and educators. It makes no difference that social, political, and cultural revolutions did not emerge from computer science alone. It makes no difference that the employment ship has already begun to turn, and that in the age of artificial intelligence, it is precisely human skills – critical thinking, social understanding, persuasion, public responsibility, and moral judgment – that are becoming the principal asset. A serious education system should prepare its students for the next decade, not the previous one.

The second reason is deeper and more disturbing. Civics is not a neutral subject. It raises the great questions of Israeli society: What is the right balance between the branches of government? How are minority rights protected? How do we set rules of the game in a fractured country of many identities? What is the social contract binding all citizens? Precisely because these questions are so complex and sensitive, many prefer not to deal with them at all.

It is a mistake to think that this is a battle of right versus left. The truth is more complex. Clear rules of the game limit power and educated citizens ask questions. But those wielding power across the political spectrum tend to prefer flexibility for themselves and ignorance among the public. A public that understands how the system works is less easily fobbed off with slogans instead of answers.

Critical thinking? Public engagement? Civic responsibility? Who needs any of that when the public can be offered bread and circuses? And if the bread grows more expensive, there is always room for a little more circus. It is far easier to govern a busy, angry, divided society than a thinking one. Divide and rule. It is far more convenient to argue about personalities than to debate institutions.

But in the end, democracy rests on citizens. Not on judges, not on politicians, not on civil servants, and not on pundits. It rests on people who understand the system, respect it, criticize it when necessary, and feel responsible for its future. Such citizens are not manufactured at age 30. They are raised in school. This is the social contract in which all of us must take part – without exception. Without that contract, we have no future.

Therefore, the most important mission for whoever forms the next government will not be security, economics, or diplomacy, although all of those matter. But our future lies in educating the next generation for citizenship. Everyone means everyone: Jews and Arabs, Haredim and secular Israelis, periphery and center. Everyone understands that one cannot drive without driving lessons. Nor can one be a citizen of a state without knowing how it works.

Israel’s prime ministers, over the generations, have dealt chiefly with security and diplomacy. A few have also dealt with economics. But now Israel needs a prime minister who is also a minister of education: a leader who understands that the most important task is to rebuild the education system and create a society capable of courageous dialogue, grounded in the premise that all of us are here to stay.

The journey of healing Israeli society will begin with education.