Without leadership schools become bastions of hate

A year ago, Israel’s Ministry of Education declared that one of its key missions for the coming school year was to strengthen cross-sector social cohesion. After the trauma of October 7th and the war that followed, the Ministry pledged to promote a sense of belonging, mutual responsibility and cross-sectoral solidarity among students.

But in reality—nothing. No planning, no training, no policy. With the education system silent, anxiety, racism, and hatred have reared their heads.

At The Abraham Initiatives, we have heard from hundreds of teachers and principals, particularly those working in Arab-Jewish mixed cities. They describe a sense of fear, polarization, incitement and helplessness. In a survey we conducted among 400 high school students, half Jewish and half Arab, results were particularly alarming: 40% of Jewish students expressed a strong or very strong sense of hatred toward Arabs, 41% of Jewish students—and a similar proportion of teachers—reported fear of Arabs, and 23% of Jewish teachers reported a strong sense of hatred towards Arabs. The numbers show these are not marginalized sentiments but mainstream attitudes.

In a broader national survey conducted by the aChord Center, similar and even more disturbing results were noted: 51% of Jewish teens reported feelings of hatred toward Arabs, 39% of them supported revoking voting rights for Arab citizens, and over a third supported boycotting Arab-owned businesses. This is the next generation, and it’s learning what we’re not teaching. These attitudes didn’t appear out of nowhere but are the direct outcome of educational neglect. While most educators are desperate for tools and guidance on how to manage diversity and address intergroup tension, the state remains absent.

This isn’t just about values—it’s about the future of Israeli society and about whether we allow xenophobia and racism to dominate the classroom or decide to intervene.

Yet there is hope. Arab and Jewish students and teachers who have had even limited contact with members of the “other” group express more moderate views, less hatred, and more belief in change. Education works, but it has to be focused and intentional.

This is why we at The Abraham Initiatives launched our pilot educational program in 40 Jewish and Arab schools this year, focusing on training principals and teachers to lead intergroup dialogue and address the fear, racism, and polarization that have engulfed both them and their students. We heard the same repeated message: educators want to act, but they cannot do it alone. They need policy, resources, and support, and they need it now.

The massive investments that have been made over the years in education for coexistence are collapsing. If nothing is done before the upcoming school year, we will wake up next year to a society that is even more fractured, more extreme, and more violent. Hatred is here—the only question is whether the education system will fight it, or capitulate.