Israel: Parents protest after school hires Palestinian teacher

Jerusalem: The appointment of a Palestinian teacher in a school in Herzliya, Israel has sparked protest from parents. The parents argued that the Palestinian teacher would not be able to teach the students about their Jewish values at the level they expect.

The Palestinian teacher is one of five new teachers at Nof Yam School in Herzliya this year. She had previously attended kindergarten in another city and had never attended elementary school.

After opposition, the school principal has reached an agreement with the teacher that her work would be supervised by a veteran teacher, as well as by the school’s administration. In addition, a Jewish teacher would teach the students Hebrew and Torah in her place.

The principal was quoted by local media as saying that that the agreement had nothing to do with the parents’ complaints. “The teacher willingly accepted it,” The principal said.

However, under the regulations of the ministry of education, the home teacher is supposed to teach all subjects in the first and second grade. Any deviation from this rule requires the approval of a ministerial supervisor.

Reacting to the opposition of the parents, Israeli entrepreneur and singer, Nicol Raidman, whose son is also studying in the school termed it “racist and inappropriate to debate in 2021.”

She took to Instagram and wrote, “A good teacher should not be judged on their years of experience, their religion, ethnicity or political views but on their ability to enter the hearts of children and leave behind a ray of light.”