Should politics be discussed in the

classroom in Israel?

 

The Jewish\ Arab divide remains perhaps the most potentially explosive conflict in Israel. The national ethnic conflict between Jewish and Arab Israeli citizens state a major challenge to the Israeli educational system in particular. I will discuss the answer to the

question posted in the title and present solutions for dealing with politics in the classroom.

The relations between Israeli Jews and the Arab Israeli citizens and Palestinians will not change until those societies go through major

socio-psychological transformation. This is because they have developed a socio-psychological infrastructure that stands as a major obstacle to the peace process and

constitutes the corner stone of the culture of conflict.

Teaching controversial issues in classroom through discussion strengthens democracy because of the causal relationship between discussion and the enlightenment of tolerance. When we use the word tolerance, we are specifically referring to political tolerance, or the ability to extend basic rights to those who are different from oneself.  Fostering political tolerance is important for all democracies.

This is where the role of the regular curriculum (like history classes, civic education) comes in.it must deliver information: Facts about the history of both peoples and of the conflict in order ‘to deal with the situation in a rational way’. the need for the curriculum to provide ‘reliable and alternative information from various angles. Another framework suggest that teachers could discuss topics related to the conflict of ‘current issues’ class/a compulsory yet rather informal 15-minute slot at the start of each day.

two restaurants in Abu-gosh : one of the most popular places to visit near Jerusalem .

Our reporter ,Endy Jber who happens to be a resident of Abu-gosh, gives us a close view of two restaurant's there.

The picturesque village of Abu Ghosh is located on the road to Jerusalem from the west. Around it you can find  Ma 'ale Hahamisha,  Kiriyat Ana vim, Kriyat Ye'arim and Beit Nakofa. The road to Abu Ghosh is surrounded by green scenery and it is a tourist attraction. Music festivals, which are held every year in Abu Ghosh, attract many visitors from all over the country.

Abu Gosh is famous mainly for its wonderful hummus, and the places which also serves piquant salads alongside hummus. There are also restaurants serving authentic Arabic cuisine. additionally, in the village there are shops for sweets such as baklava, halvah in different flavors and sweet knava. Near the area of the village there are the  Ein Hemmed National Park, Ein Nekofa and Har Harowah.

Our first restaurant is Naji's restaurant, which has been in the center of Abu Ghosh for about 17 years. the meat is fresh and of a very high quality because it comes directly from Naji's butcher shop. It offers a special menu that includes salads, a variety of fresh and delicious meats and, of course, the famous hummus .Here you will find  very good hummus, very fresh vegetable salad, and a tray of kofta in the oven or in tahini. For your first course , it is highly recommended to taste the pumpkin salad with tahini - a Palestinian delicacy: and of course enjoy the tasty olives of  last year's harvest.

Naji's  restaurant is ranked third in the world for kebab by the CNN. Kebabs is the food of ancient Ottoman emperors, Persian courts. In Israel, the kebab joint is one place where Jews and Arabs can agree on something: kebabs are good!

In the Arab village of Abu Ghosh, where residents became famous for their "hummus wars" with Lebanon, you’re guaranteed a plate of succulent meat. At Naji, minced beef is mixed with onion, parsley and pine nuts, and cooked on skewers until it's medium with a little pink in the center.

After speaking about Naji's restaurant comes Abo Shokri's restaurant , one of the most successful and familiar hummus

places in the Jerusalem area, with a loyal clientele   and many

Jerusalemite  customers who never miss their  regular visit every

Saturday morning.

In addition to the hummus you will

also find salads, falafel, skewers, fried kobe and lamb chops, but the most

requested dish of course is a plate of hummus with beans, pickles and pita

bread on the side.

Abu Shukri recently moved to a large and spacious restaurant on the Peace road at the entrance of the village, so do not miss it, a few minutes and you'll  be there. The portions are large and generous. On the top of the dish we have golden grains, and the beans pulp sticks out and melts  softly. The dishes we ordered were served with fresh, unsweetened salad, medium-sized pickles and traditional pita.

The new place is spacious, beautifully renovated and clean. The service is attentive. The menu, as is customary in these places, also includes salads, Mujaddara lentils cooked with rice and grape leaves and a selection of meats which are probably the main source of income for the place. But there are certain people who, like me, will only come for hummus and bring friends with them.  

 

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Meet Cheetos the wild cat!

“Cheetos” The smart wild cat.

A couple of months ago, my uncle called me and said “get downstairs, Shada, I got you a cat”. I used to love cats and I had one two years ago, unfortunately she died of some sort of cat disease. And fortunately, I got this amazing big cat whom I called Cheetos.

He was so cute that I imagined this name would be perfect for him (I have no idea why). Cats are one of the animals which are hard to deal with. They have their own routine and time, you can’t just take them and cuddle while he’s not in the mood or asleep, it's almost like treating a baby. They eat a specific kind of food and wherever they sleep it is considered as their own area where nobody is allowed to sit. They usually have a wide range of basic emotions. Cats feel happy, sad, afraid, relieved and even frustrated, just like us humans! The key to a good relationship with your cat is learning how to recognize these emotions, and respond where needed. By the way, cats consider that we, as humans, belong to them (not the other way round 😉).

He has cute side too.

  First, I put him in the house but he was too wild to stay locked in the same place, so I got him out, he seemed to be the happiest cat I’d ever seen. He discovered the outside so quickly and met a new wild friend, he was strong, never afraid (all the cats outside fear him now), he still eats the same food he used to eat in addition to some sort of chicken and meat. He still sleeps in front of our house door, we put him in a bed with his stuff to feel like home.

Whenever I go out and he hears my voice he comes running towards me to hug, play and talk to him, he meows at me like he wants to start a conversation with me. Cats never forget the one who loves them. no matter how big he is now , he will always be my little friend.