Education in Israel before and after the passage of the State Education Law of 1953 is discussed. Prior to 1953, Israeli political parties operated and had total control over their own schools. Before statehood in 1948, a growing desire for national unity led some major parties to give up their separate schools and merge them into a school system…

Examines Israel's 1953 State Education Law, the product of a religious and political compromise, that was responsible for unifying schools into a national system. Gives the historical perspective of this system that is comprised of five types of schools: four Jewish, one Arabian. Examines how the schools reflect Israel's religious and political…