A hot debate concerning the definition of  “a Jew” and of the “Jew’s identity” has always opposed Jews both in side and out side "Israel".

  In fact, the Jews living within the Hebrew State, mainly the godly once, believe that the religion dimension is a core constituent of their identity. This dimension can   be clearly perceived in their belongings and manners.

  At the same time, the Jewish community, more particularly that of the United States which shelter the widest Jewish community in the world, believes that a Jew belongs automatically to religion, to history and to civilization. A Jew doesn’t ought to practice neither the precepts of the Torah and the Talmud, nor the Jewish rituals.

  Such a debate emerges from a wider one related to the identity of the State of  "Israel", or well as its relevance to the original dream. The debate can be summarized by the following questions:

  Is "Israel" a Jewish state?

  Is "Israel" the state of the Jews of the world?

  The two concepts are quite different.

  In fact, if "Israel" is a Jewish state, this means that the Jews dream has already come true. The promised state would be true and final for the Jews who live on territories.

  If we assume that the original dream has come true, then we are contradicting the idea of the permanent expansion which aims at absorbing more Jewish emigrants. Yet this idea is the core of the second concept which concurs the state of the Jews of the world.

  The identity of the Jewish state as well as its relevance to the original Jewish dream and to the Zionist project are not agreed upon by all the Jews. This disagreement is reflected in the variety of scenarios-made by the different political, religious and secular movements about the future of "Israel".

  Whoever looks closely at the settlement process in the region would notice that religion movements (the alliance between Likud and other religions parties) are the once who refuse to make the slightest concession in the process. In contrast, secular parties led by the labor party have proven their readiness, however conditional, to give and take.

  The deep disagreement upon the definition of the Jewish identity and the future of the state of  "Israel" is not a result of the settlement process only. In fact, the debate is due to the contradictions which burdened the state of "Israel" since its creation. The society in "Israel" is divided in a sections the religions and the secular.

  The educational system, the various schools and the school courses also reflect these contradictions. Nevertheless, we should admit that school have played a major role in consolidating loyalty to the slate and in protecting it.

  Let's highlight two characteristics of education in "Israel".

1) Division in religious and secular school.

2) Adoption of the same concepts related to loyalty and to the strength construction by all the Jews.

   These concepts are the pillars of the Zionist educational project.

I- The division in religious and school entities :

  The state of "Israel" was created in conformity with a secular perspective whose aim is to achieve the Jews economic, social and cultural revitalization, as planed by the pioneers of the Zionist project (Herzel, Ben Gorion). Nevertheless, this concept contradicts that of the religious circles which were intent, since the end of the XIXth century, or creating a Jewish society which applies the precepts of the Torah in the land of "Israel".

  The disagreement upon these contradictory concepts creates a great tension within the "Israel" society. It is also one of the difference between religious and political movement concerning education and schools.

  Since the creation of "Israel", Rabbis and religious parties have engaged together a fervent battle in to consecrate the hegemony of the religious Chari’a over all the "Israel" Jews.

  They have also devoted themselves to mark the life of the "Israel" society in all its aspects with religion.

  School and their objectives were influenced by this religious-secular dilemma. In fact, school started to reflect the social conflicts and to “form” citizen capable of taking those conflicts in charge(1), as a Jewish research once side.

  Education and school have played an exceptional role since the creation of  "Israel". Not only because "Israel" is an emigrant society. This means that the majority of "Israel’s” population have come from different countries. Their customs and cultures are different, as well as the concept of Judaism which differs from the godly to the atheistic, from the eastern to the western, …

The common factor between these emigrants is their religious belongings. This is why school are considered as the number one place where the nation’s unity ought to be established. Then comes the role of the environment and of the family. Therefore, school must transmit not only knowledge, but also the values of the new society.

  The traditional Jewish education in Palestine before the XIXth century was similar to the Islamic and Christian education. In fact, at that time, teaching the children was limited to the Torah, to the Talmud, and to their explanation. Excellent student used to take courses in advanced religious studies.

  The modern Jewish teaching saw the light in the middle of the XIXth century which also witnessed the era of lights in Europe.

  The impact of this era on political, social  and cultural aspects all over the wold made western Jews decide to raise the level of the Jewish school in Palestine, by imitating  the European model.

  Since then, different educational missions rushed to Palestine in order to establish modern school (these same missions were rushing to Lebanon and to other Arabic and Islamic countries).  The teaching language was either French, or English, or Austrian according to the world be next mission.

  It was normal then that fundamentalist Jews yet away from these school. They declared that whoever sent his children to these school was a miscreant. (In 1898, they opened nurseries in order to face the missions).

  Yet, although the courses were similar to those given in Europe school, teaching the Torah, the Talmud and Jewish history was a must at that time(2).

  The disagreement upon the nature of education between the religious and the secular has marked the teaching structure in "Israel".

Religious and non religious movements established schools in the regions which emigrants had reached. Later on, the government had to legalize that type of the school according of system of  “governmental school” and “governmental religious school”. In the latters, teaching is mainly religious and is concerned above all with the practicing of Jewish rituals. The formers teach the Torah as a source of literature of national history and of moral values.

  Students of religious school pray, put on the Kippa, celebrate Jewish feasts and learn the basis of Judaism. At the end of this cycle, pupils learn a second language (English or French) plus other agricultural, technical and handicraft activities.

  In the secondary cycle, student learn Hebraic, the Torah, the Talmud, the second language plus the military training.

  In summary, the difference between religious and secular school is that the former once pay attention to religions and rituals more than the letters.

  Eastern Jews and western Jews (Ashkenaz and Safardeim) disagree not only upon education and religious teaching, bust also upon social, issues. This disagreement is due to social, economic and educational disparity between them.

  "Israeli" government have deployed fervent efforts to minimize differences between the two big communities which constitute the Jewish people of "Israel". Nevertheless, the disparity still exist because of the historical causes which contributed to its existence and to its persistence. In fact, the Ashkenaz were the first Jews to emigrate to Palestine, while the Safardeim  (the ultra-religious Jews) opposed that emigration. They knew that those who come from Europe were secular . the word Ashkenaz is Hebraic and means “German”.

  It indicates the Jews of Europe and the sufferings which the Jews endured in Germany.

  The word “Safardeim” means Spain in Hebrew. It indicates the Jews descendent from those who were ousted from Spain and Portugal at the end of the XV century. The two communities are unequal on educational, social, political and military levels. For instance, 90% of the students in many cycles in bar Elan university are Ashkenaz. Furthermore, students descending from African and Asian origins are lessee than the ones descending from Europe. The two communities are unequal. In the 1970, Eastern people demanded that their educational situation be embittered, and their culture received .the once descending from European origins believed that they were more cultured and exiling than the others. They concept at others because they resembled Arabs and were unable to achieve a cultural rebirth. During the following years, the communities integrated more the one into the others. (22%of marriage cases were mixed ). This was due to the fact that many cultivated Safardeim carried out important researches, which made the Eastern culture and that of the Safardeim contribute affectivity in the Jewish culture. These efforts were beneficial to the "Israel" teaching(3).

  Since the creation of the state, the "Israeli" government tried to steer clear of the conflict between the secular and the religious (concerning education and teaching). In 1950, the Knesset was obliged to vote the annulment of the decision which allows parents to send their children to schools that go along their ideological tendencies in the emigrant camps. The conflict became so serious that it led to the resignation of the government in 1951, and to the dissolution of the first elected Knesset in 1949. That was the first grave political crisis in "Israel" (the new state) originating from the religious-cultural tension. Because of this very crisis, the second Knesset called in 1953 to vote a new law which forbids the diversification of school currents and allows a clear dualism:

“Governmental school” and religious governmental school”.

  Don’t forget that the teaching in "Israel" take a Keen interest in a teaching and technological training and rehabilitation, in “producing an elite of scientists and researchers, and in developing individual talents(4).

             Foundations of the Zionist Educational project.

The Zionist education concentrated on three elements which aim at serving the Zionist project:
Establishing the Hebrew state and gathering the Jewish the community within the state.
 To achieve the project, Jews must meet 3 conditions:
 - revive the Hebrew Language
 - reinforce attachment to the land
 - develop military and racial spirits

1- The Jews of the wold didn’t speak the Jewish language. To a point that Herzel had to learn the proper in Hebrew when he wanted to pray in Bazel, Switzerland, before the penning of the first Zionist conference.

  Jews spoke the language of the countries where they lived: in Arab countries, in Asia and in the unites states.

  Since “language” is a quintessential element of national unification, it was necessary to revive the Hebrew language which people had stopped to use hundreds of years before. That was past of the Zionist project not only in Palestine (through school, nurseries, teaching establishment and other institutions), but also in numerous countries where Jews wrote and published book calling to revive and renovate the Hebrew language.

2- the attachment to the land was also a core element of the Zionist project. In fact, Jews must develop the emotional and psychological attachment to the land to achieve their project. Therefore, Jewish literature endeavored to confirm the historical right to possess the land Palestine, to confirm the necessity of the attachment and the defense of this land (the promised land) and to reveal the sacred texts of the Torah which back up the religion and historic roots of this attachment. We quote:

  “Adam was created from the soil the land of "Israel"”.

  “Theologians were asking what was the surface of the land upon which Jacob slept. So Rabbi Itzac said that the most Holy rolled up the land of Can’an, wrapped it up and put it in front of our father Jacob to show him that his descendent (those of Jacob) would seize it easily”.

  The Zionist movement and, and later, the educational system stressed on the importance of agriculture. In fact the students of all cycles had to take obligatory courses in “agriculture”. That is an effort aiming at teaching a whole generation how to be really attached to the land thanks to religious, and colonial mobiles. Not to mention the direct economic dimension of such a teaching, and the agricultural activities related to it.

3- The military tendency is based on:
1) making Jews afraid of others. (the "Israeli" defense army was created according to this idea).
2) Justifying the exterminations of enemies in order to safeguard one self.
3) Commemorating the Holocaust which represents of the Jews.

    The origin of the military tendency is not the historic or political writings of the military leaders, intellectuals or politicians inside and outside "Israel". This tendency is rooted in texts from the Torah which glorify “the selected people” “ who deserves eternal life” … “Here is the people of "Israel", rises like a lioness, towers like a lion, does not sleep until he eats a pray and drinks the blood of the dead.” … “Good loves Jews more than he loves the angels”.

  Ben Gorion  refer to the Holy book in order to speak about the ancient History of "Israel". The Holy book is, at place, the military History of "Israel".

  Numerous other literary writings preach the military ideology which can be clearly perceived in the military training of all the "Israeli" society: men and women.

  Furthermore, scholar book, stories and other books specially written for students present two different and contradictory pictures about the “self” ("Israel" and the Jewish people ) and “the other” (the Arab, the enemy). The first picture is bright and danger in the same time. It pusher Jews to take refuge in the 3 above mentioned foundations, mainly the military dimension.

  The other picture that of Arab ) is obscure, endangering. Whoever takes a look at the Hebrew  books for children finds a great many of those pictures.

  Despite the disagreement between regions and secular "Israeli" school, can clearly perceive the foundations of the Zionist project:

The really around the state, the constructions of the elements of direct force, the importance of national and religious unification.

Thanks to these foundations, to the direct external support, to the usage of military force and of aggressions, the Zionist project as well as the state of "Israel" have been surviving since half a century. They wouldn’t have survived without the absence of a unified Arabic and project during the years of the conflict. In fact, there is no unified Arabic or Arab –Islamic education which preaches the same national and religious objectives. Arabs and Muslims  are not unified upon the their belongingness  and their land, upon the enemy and his identify, not even upon the importance of the religious dimension and its role in the conflict with the enemy. Not to mention the absences of a unified means and of unified conditions to face the enemy.