Hamas War

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Growing ignorance

When Limor Livnat was Education Minister, she initiated a program to enrich the Zionist and Jewish History curriculum. Unfortunately, it hasn't made a dent on the growing lack of knowledge among kids graduating the Israeli public schools.

On my way back from work today, one of the rides I caught was with someone who meets many of the youth as part of his job, and we discussed the problem. The topic was raised because of the obvious ignorance of one of the hitch hikers. I had already told the guy to stop hailing vehicles, since most were Arab. "Don't tempt," them, I said. "Whoever is meant to stop will stop."

I can't understand how people can "tremp," the Hebrew for hitch hike, when they're not fully familiar with the area.

Then I got home, and when I was eating dinner, they showed the latest "history test" on the news. Some kids were asked about Jabotinsky and gave a report about Allosoroff. When asked about Eichman, they thought he was associate with the bomb. Their answers were so off, it wasn't even good comedy material.

3 comments:

Cosmic X said...

'I can't understand how people can "tremp," the Hebrew for hitch hike, when they're not fully familiar with the area.'

"Tremp" is not a Hebrew word! It is the Israeli version of "catching a tramp" i.e. hitchhiking.

yitz said...

CX - Tremp has definitely made it into Israeli "sleng".

Batya: Then I got home, and when I was eating dinner, they showed the latest "history test" on the news...Their answers were so off, it wasn't even good comedy material. Who was it that said that if you don't know your past, your future is in danger?

Batya said...

cos' if you tremped 1% as much as I do, you'd know what we call it, and I thought that "catching a tramp" meant throwing a freeloader off a train!

yitz you're right!