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 but do not observe traditional precepts and commandments. On the other hand there are ultra-orthodox Jews who stridently observe religious traditions and shy away from integration into modern society, feeling that it will negatively impact their religious lifestyle. The minority Arab population consists mainly of Moslems who may be defined as traditionally religious but are generally moderate in their level of religious observance despite the growing trend toward increased levels of religious observance in the Moslem sector. There is a smaller but vibrant Christian community with a majority of members who describe themselves as being believers and moderately religious and willingly accept their religion as an essential part of their identity as well as their culture. There is a sizeable Druze community as well. Given the diversity in the population of Israel, in the Israeli state education system, religious and heritage education is a mandatory core subject for all sectors; however, each sector maintains a unique sectorial ideology regarding the understanding of what religious and heritage education should convey to the students. All schools are required to educate toward the enhancement of social cohesion and a broadly common perception of constructive values and citizenship. In summary one might say that, while religious encounters are not a feature in Israeli schools, citizenship education encounters are a definite priority on the Israeli educational agenda in the hope that these encounters will lead to positive intergroup interaction and understanding and, perhaps, in the future, to interschool discussions and deliberations on religion and interfaith ecumenism.