Interfaith education appears to have a strong potential for prejudice reduction and for overcoming Islamophobia and antisemitism. Common in-group identity theory contends that awareness of interreligious similarities would reduce intergroup streotypes and anxiety. However, optimal distinctiveness theory assumes that pointing to similarities would…

The teaching of religion raises opportunities to reduce prejudicial beliefs and attitudes among students. In this study, 30 religion, history, and civics teachers in Israel, East Jerusalem, and the Palestinian Territories were interviewed about their motivations for teaching religion. This study found that teachers expressed a variety of…

Exposes the sources of anti-Jewish education in Zionist thought and praxis by examining an unsuccessful attempt to educate for sensitivity to the suffering of others in Israel. Argues that this form of education conflicts with themes of Jewish tradition leading to oppressions of the Palestinian "other." (CMK)