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This lecture is one of a series of ten lectures that will focus on education in times of national disasters and calamity in Jewish History. These online lectures are held in conjunction with Sydney University’s Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies and Mandelbaum House.

This week’s lecture will focus on political education in the Jewish world.

One of the goals of educational institutions is to develop well informed and curious students with capabilities to inquire and judge issues autonomously. Politically controversial issues may pose a challenge on educational institutions as to how to find the balance between socialisation, i.e. nurturing students to adopt the values of the community on the one hand, while encouraging the students to be independent thinkers. This conundrum is faced by schools across the Jewish world. In the session we will clarify this dilemma, discuss potential dangers, and propose ways in which schools can tackle this challenge in order to achieve the best outcome.

Oren Thaler is a teacher at Emanuel school and completing his master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies. In the past he was a High school teacher in Jerusalem and also worked as a facilitator of group dialogue between Arab and Jewish youth in Israel.