Education minister unveils sweeping new reform for Jewish, Zionist studies, including mandatory Bible class

Education Minister Yoav Kisch unveils a new plan to reform and expand Jewish education in schools across Israel, dubbed “Roots — The National Program for Jewish and Zionist Identities,” which is expected to be introduced gradually over the next two academic years.

Under the plan, all students from first grade to twelfth grade will be required to have an hour of mandatory Bible study each week, and fourth-grade students will be required to take a standardized Bible exam, which until now had been optional. The changes will be implemented both in regular state schools and religious state schools.

A number of new classes and school projects on Zionism and the State of Israel will also be introduced to the state curriculum, including a class about “Israel’s wars and rebirth.”

Schools will also be required to bring students on tours of Jerusalem and the West Bank as part of a “Bible paths” course.

As a result of the changes, the portion of the education budget allocated to Jewish studies will be raised from 1% to 4%, the Education Ministry says.

“We’re changing direction because Jewish identity cannot be left anymore as a matter of local decisions or private preference,” Kisch declares. “This is a large change, but it is also simple: To give back to our children what should be taken for granted. This is our commitment, to today’s students and to the future of the State of Israel.”