Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli, in Cannes in 2011. (Shutterstock)
Some 40,000 Israeli high school students taking their matriculation exams in civics Monday were asked to grapple with the thorny question of a supermodel’s wedding.
Specifically, they were questioned about the controversial decision to close down the airspace over Bar Refaeli and businessman Adi Ezra’s wedding in September of last year.
According to the Ynet news site, the students were asked to analyze the decision to disallow flights over the wedding site and explain what public questions arose from it.
Many criticized aviation authorities for agreeing to declare the site off-limits to air travel so that the famous couple could hire their own aircraft to record the event.
The flight ban prevented pilots and airlines from flying over the Carmel forest, where the nuptials took place, and was in effect from 5 PM on the wedding day until 2 AM the following morning.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli (photo via Shutterstock)
“I respect the Education Ministry’s attempts to make the civics test more approachable by linking it to current events,” said Asher Albo, chairman of the national student council. “Even so, the issue of closing the airspace over a supermodel’s wedding is not one of national importance; it is simple gossip.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel