Israelis debate classroom freedom of speech
In the past week, the educational system, the Knesset and the Israeli government have all dealt with an incident in which a 12th-grade student caused a stir around a teacher who expressed left-wing views in the classroom.
If she knew that the letter she wrote would cause such turmoil in the Israeli educational system, it’s doubtful whether she would have written it. About a week ago, Sapir Sabah, a 12th-grade student from the northern town of Kiryat Tivon, sent a personal letter to Minister of Education Shai Piron, in which she complained about one of her teachers. In her letter she told him that her civics teacher doesn’t stop slandering the state and insulting its most sacred values.
“The teacher emphasizes that the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] is an organization that behaves with unusual brutality and violence, unlike other armies,” she wrote. “He explains that the IDF is patently immoral and that he is ashamed of the military of our country.”
The publication of the letter sparked a great commotion across the country. Everyone talked about the school, the student and the teacher she complained about. They discussed the incident in the government, tempers flared in the Knesset Education Committee and the entire educational system has yet to say the final word.
Adam Verete, the teacher who aroused the controversy, was invited to an inquiry before his supervisors. In the conversation, he denied the decisive tone that was conveyed in the student’s letter. He admitted that he identifies himself with the radical left and believes that the Israeli army has acted immorally on more than one occasion.
