The purpose of the current study was to explore the meanings, regulation, and sources of male teacher empathy in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools in Israel from a cultural perspective. More specifically, the study posed three questions: (1) What are the particular meanings attached to empathy by ultra-Orthodox teachers? (2) How do ultra-Orthodox…

Community-based, Judaism-intensive action groups (Hebrew: Gar'inim Toraniim--GTs) are religiously motivated to settle in Israeli development towns, seeking to narrow social gaps through education. However, their influence has never been fully clarified. This study is grounded in the theory of educational gentrification and introduces the concept…

This essay explores the issue of dress of teachers of Druze heritage. The Druze, among whom the rules of religious dress are rather specific, do not teach religion in schools, since the Druze religion is secret. The teacher acts as a gatekeeper and model. At the same time, Druze young people are becoming increasingly secular and may relate better…

A Jewish-Israeli identity incorporates two identities--Jewish and Israeli, and various philosophers suggest different ways to view the combination or separation of these identities. Agasi and Samucha come from different approaches to suggest ways of integrating both identities. They speak about the existing division between the two identities, in…

With a fertility rate that nearly triples the national average and increased political power that accompanies demographic growth, Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews in Israel are becoming an increasingly important piece of the country's diverse national mosaic. This raises economic concerns: Haredi women earn low wages, while most Haredi men do not…

Despite the increased trend towards secularisation in state schooling, issues of religion and spirituality have remained important. Increased pluralism within societies through expanding migration patterns is changing the religious and cultural contours of many countries in Europe and North America, and is creating a need for a deeper…

In this article, Yaccov Katz describes Israel as a unique country housing a population that has increased ten-fold since independence in 1948. It is a country composed of Jews and Arabs, veterans, and immigrants hailing from over 100 countries throughout the world. On the one hand, Israel has a population of secular Jews who profess to be Jewish…

This article reports some of the results of interviews with 120 Israeli Druze, 60 middle-aged adults and 60 young adults, regarding values, views of the Druze community, and personal identity. All participants expressed commitment to and love for traditional Druze values of familial respect, respect for others, modesty in dress and behavior, and…

State religious schooling in Israel constitutes a fascinating setting for examining forces of conformity and resistance. This study, which examines the identity formation of adolescent girls and their teachers in this complex cultural-educational setting during the Al-Aksa Intifada (1999-2002), highlights the complexities of agency within a…

Describes the structure and development of religious schools in Israel--the yeshiva for boys, the ulpana for girls. Details the graduates' unique cultural identity, their career and family preferences, their attitudes to the military, and their emergence as a national elite. (RDN)

Explores recent theoretical works in language, identity, culture, and implications for cultural ethnic education, specifically Jewish education. Argues that these works can help educators interested in the creative and participatory development of Jewish and other ethnic religious groups to rethink the content and processes of their educational…

A selected bibliography of educational materials--books, theses, and those sections of works pertaining to special areas of educational concern in Israel--is presented with each entry described in a summary of several paragraphs. The arrangment is topical, topics including educational foundations, administration of the educational system,…

Contains seven essays addressing the following topics: (1) Israeli youths' search for identity; (2) the Black Panthers of Israel; (3) cultural characteristics and group image of religious youth; (4) drug use among high school students; (5) Israeli youth movements; (6) proscriptive values in high school youth; and (7) disadvantaged youngsters in a…

Reports on a study of the link between religiosity, gender, and subjectivity among 37 secondary female students in an all-girls' religious boarding school in Israel. Finds that the girls' experiences shaped a religious subjectivity that was subject to divine law and the male world. (CFR)

A selected bibliography of materials dealing with education in Israel--including books, treatises, and those parts of works which treat with specific problems of education--is presented. Each entry is described in a summary of several paragraphs. The arrangement is topical, topics including the philosophy and theory of education, legislation and…