The resulting discussions involve complex Jewish and democratic values.  In order to aide these discussions Yesodot has developed materials aimed at high school students to help them understand:

What is the discussion about?

What are the Rabbis talking about?

Is this racism?

Is there a conflict here between Judaism and democracy?

The materials developed to be used in the classroom are designed to help students understand the issues at stake and assist them in forming their own opinions.

From our internet statistics we know that over 200 educators opened all of the materials in a fashion that indicates their intention to use them.  This hit level (over 200 out of 750 subscribers) is considered very high in terms of internet usage.

Please follow the links to the Yesodot website to see examples taken from the educational kit.

Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated by a Jew  14 years ago. Could it happen again?

Despite the passage of 14 years since the Rabin assassination, Yesodot’s work continues to be vital. A recent YNET Survey found that 40% of the Israeli public does not commemorate Rabin Memorial Day and of the religious Zionist population 33% commemorates the death of the Matriarch Rachel on Rabin Memorial Day!

51% of the religious Zionist population believes that their sector — not the peace camp and not all of society– but they alone, were hurt the most by the political assassination since they are the ones continually accused of encouraging violence for political gain. Shoshi Becker, Yesodot’s Educational Director, points out that these results make one question whether the religious Zionist population is attuned to the pain of the other segments of society.

When asked how to improve matters, most of those questioned said that we must educate non-stop for tolerance and against violence toward the different sectors of Israeli society. This is the exact message that Yesodot continues to spread through its in-service training programs for religious teachers on Judaism and democracy and through its innovative curricula in Talmud, Jewish Thought and social studies for religious elementary and high school students.

With the help of skilled facilitators, religious elementary and high schools throughout Israel made Yom Rabin Memorial Day a day to focus on the importance of democracy and the rule of law. The central message of the day was “Yes To Protest, No To Violence,” even when the government makes decisions that conflict with your deeply held beliefs.

To watch the video about Yesodot’s programming click here!

Can the State of Israel make hard political, military and social decisions while maintaining a commitment to Torah and tzelem elokim (the innate dignity of human beings created in the image of God), without paralyzing conflict and dissension? The issue is not a simple one. Some Orthodox Jews (and non Orthodox Jews) have come to the conclusion that Torah and democratic values are inherently incompatible. We believe that such a conclusion is unwarranted and threatens the continued viability of the State of Israel.

Yesodot, established in May 1996, shortly after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, demonstrates that a committed Orthodox Jewish life is compatible and also enhanced by a commitment to democratic values. What makes Yesodot unique is that it is the only democracy education program working within the Orthodox educational system. Yesodot staff, themselves members of the Orthodox community, have worked and continue to work, with leading rabbis, roshei yeshiva, and Orthodox academics in furthering this goal.

Yesodot has worked in more than 100 schools and its programs have reached more than 5,000 students , and x teachers in the religious education system.  Our work is empowering a future generation in Israel who are committed to maintaining an active commitment to Judaism and democratic values and who see themselves as active members of society and Israel’s leadership.