Posted on 05/24/2015 3:01:45 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
On Wednesday, the 27th of May 2015, at 11:00 AM, an unprecedented demonstration will be held in the plaza in front of the Lev Ram building in Jerusalem (Ministry of Education headquarters) by the Christian Schools in Israel against the policy of the Ministry of Education.
Participants in the demonstration will include clergymen (Bishops, Priests, Nuns, and Pastors) in addition to parents of children in Christian schools throughout the country.
The Christian schools in the country consist of more than 30,000 students, almost equally divided between Christians and Muslims. Most of these schools began operating years before the State of Israel was established. They were built and developed through donations from abroad. They provided the general Arab community with quality education that has resulted in the high achievements of the Christian schools. This high quality education is displayed, among other things, in the number of Christian schools listed at the top of the Ministry of Educations published categories. While achieving high academic results, they also teach their students Christian doctrine and instruct them according to the Christian values of loving others, forgiveness and tolerance.
These schools belong to the recognized but not public classification of schools in the Ministry of Education and receive partial funding from the Ministry. The rest of their funding comes from fees that are collected from the parents.
For years, the Ministry of Education has been consistently cutting the budget of Christian schools (35% in the last 10 years). This has forced the Christian schools to raise the service fees that are collected from the parents to a level that has become a heavy burden on the parents, especially for parents from the Arab sector where the average family income is well known to be lower than the national average.
Last year the Ministry of Education issued new regulations that even limited the ability of Christian schools to collect fees from the parents. The combination of these two things, substantial budget cuts and limiting allowable fees, is actually viewed as a death penalty for these schools.
A committee appointed by the Office of Christian Schools in Israel held negotiations for 8 months with the Ministry of Education where the Ministry proposed that the Christian schools become public schools. This proposal was seen by the owners of the schools (churches, monasteries, etc.) as the end of the Christian, value-based educational enterprise and even a critical blow to the Christian minority in the Land. In light of that, the Christian schools decided to end these negotiations.
The owners of these schools from around the world (The Vatican, Germany, England, France, Scotland, USA and others) are aware of this crisis and are watching with growing concern.
The protestors in the demonstration will be demanding that the Ministry of Education fully fund the Christian schools, just like other educational networks, and thus lift the burden from the shoulders of the parents and cancel the need for them to pay the service fees to the Christian schools.
For any further information - contact Father Fahim Abdelmasih,OFM, head of the Christian Schools office at 050-5376481. .
No doubt. Take care, then, not characterize them all according to a single negative stereotype.
Do you think that publications which would publish such an opinion piece or a similar one, should be banned on FR? That would exclude all of the major media source in the United States, and most in the world. It would probably even ban a great many Israeli publications.
Or do you think that the article about endangered Christian schools, by a different author and on a different topic, should be excluded because they are somewhat adjacent to each other? Was it perhaps contaminated by proximity?
I disagree with your point of view.
As you certainly know, “anti-Semitism” means anti-Jewish, regaredless of the word origin.
The writer of the article on I cited on that anti-Semitic website was absolutely not written by a Christian, even if he calls himself that. A real Christian does not equate Hamas terrorists with Christian saints. Your defense for that article is bizarre.
It is fine for you to post articles from anti-Semitic hate sites. FReepers post from Leftists sites all the time, but they rarely defend them the way you are doing now.
Criticism of the state is fine. But the article is from a pro-Hamas site and has no credibility.
Not all criticism of the state is equal. When the Left criticizes the state, it is wise to view it with suspicion. There is plenty if criticism of the state from the Left (e.g., on NPR), and it is kooky.
When the Left criticizes Israel, it is motivated by a hatred against Israel and against God.
That's a legitimate point, and one which ties in well with my point. You have not shown that this website is either anti-Jewish or anti-State of Israel.
This website, Come and See, the Christian Website from Nazareth has posted over 875 articles (yes, I counted--- and there are more articles at their Facebook page.) They are all of interest to Christians in Israel as well as in surrounding Muslim-majority lands. They cover a big variety of topics, including
This particular article does not, however, say what you told us it says. It does not "equate" Hamas terrorists with Christian saints. It does not advocate or justify violence. It is not anti-Semitic hate, and the website is not an anti-Semitic hate site.
And you presume to judge that the author is not a Christian? Who do you think you are? Some pseudo-St. Peter in a fright wig, checking everyone's religion passport at the Pearly Gates?
I notice you also said that the Catholic canonization of two humble and holy women, 19th century Palestinian nuns, was anti-Semitic propaganda. Anyone who has read the articles in question, AND has read your remarks, can see very well where you're coming from.
Most FReepers are not bigots. I don't think most of us care to go there.
You got that right! Anti-Semitism is almost non-existent on FR. That is why I bothered to call it out. FR is very pro-Israel, anti-Hamas, anti-Islamofascism.
We're in agreement here.
The article at the top of this thread,however, is not anti-Semitic.
The article you objected to --- which was not this one, by the way --- is not anti-Semitic.
And the website they which published them both --- Come And See, the Christian Website from Nazareth, is not anti-Semitic.
Saying "anti-Semitic" or "racist" or "white privilege" or "hate group" is a conversation-stopper, a way to bully people into silence with hot accusatory language, especially when the label is applied with no evidence, with insufficient evidence, or against the evidence.
Broad-brush prejudices, political detraction and calumny are pretty common around here, unfortunately, but that's against God's commandment:
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
“Come and See” is not the pro-Hamas site that you claim. Nor is it even Leftist site. It is simply a Christian website in the Holy Land. It is a voice for a beleaguered minority. I would advise you not to demonize all criticism against the actions of Israel as being motivated by hate.
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