A Sense of Distance through the Classroom Window

Abstract

The paper argues that the practices of schools—frequently seen by sociologists as accurate mirrors of society—confirm many of the claims made by Cohen and Kelman. The widespread uptake by day schools of an advocacy approach to Israel education, and the shift to a pedagogy of enculturation from one of instruction, testify to a decline in attachment and a loss of self-confidence among families and communities. The cultivation of attachment to Israel has been subcontracted to schools where often it is focused on a singular limited performance: advocacy for Israel during the few years that students spend on university campuses.