Israeli author: Censorship turning Israel into mini-Iran

Iran declares itself as a theocratic state with Islam teachings not in favour of explicit sexual portrayal, be it in pictures, words or sounds, so where is the problem that these poems are being not welcome in schools.

Nearly all the well-known great classical writers and philosophers of nearly all civilizations were able to pose their ideas and apply critical thinking without relying on graphic sexual descriptions.

her facebook page shows a naked man with tefillin straps on his arm.. certainly a disrespectful image towards her own religion.... certainly diminishes the seriousness and sense of anything she has to say.

Today education and culture coming from Hollywood and all of you know who are the owners.Stop polute the mind of humanity!

I never claimed that there was no immigration to the US by Jews or that the zionists had it in their power to decide those decisions in any case. However what is clear is that in whatever capacity the pro Zionists were able to influence policy they did it by opposing or shunning large scale immigration from the camps in favour of allowing those Jews to go to Palestine, regardless of whether they wanted to or not. The Stratton bill is a pretty clear indicator of that is it not? Stop being so reflexive and read the Lilienthal url. http://desip.igc.org/fromWhatPriceIsrael.html "The President had reasons to assume that Canada, Australia and the South American countries would gladly open their doors. And if such good examples were set by other nations, Mr. Roosevelt felt that the American Congress could be "educated to go back to our traditional position of asylum." The key was in London. Would Morris Ernst succeed there? Mr. Ernst came home to report, and this is what took place in the White House (as related by Mr. Ernst to a Cincinnati audience in 1950): Ernst: "We are at home plate. That little island [and it was during the second Blitz that he visited England] on a properly representative program of a World Immigration Budget, will match the United States up to 150,000. Roosevelt: "150,000 to England 150,000 to match that in the United States, pick up 200,000 or 300,000 elsewhere, and we can start with half a million of these oppressed people." A week later, or so, Mr. Ernst and his wife again visited the President. Roosevelt (turning to Mrs. Ernst): "Margaret, can't you get me a Jewish Pope? I cannot stand it any more. I have got to be careful that when Stevie Wise leaves the White House he doesn't see Joe Proskauer on the way in." Then, to Mr. Ernst: "Nothing doing on the program. We can't put it over because the dominant vocal Jewish leadership of America won't stand for it." "It's impossible! Why?" asked Ernst. Roosevelt: "They are right from their point of view. The Zionist movement knows that Palestine is, and will be for some time, a remittance society. They know that they can raise vast sums for Palestine by saying to donors, 'There is no other place this poor Jew can go.' But if there is a world political asylum for all people irrespective of race, creed or color, they cannot raise their money. Then the people who do not want to give the money will have an excuse to say 'What do you mean, there is no place they can go but Palestine? They are the preferred wards of the world."

world. Top class universities,extraordiary numbers of scientific publications. Mud slinging is your way of living in denial,try competing.

What nonsense."Israel" is not saying no to sex education in schools!They are NOT teaching that sex should not be enjoyed in a relationship. Talk about pompous egotists who seem to think the world of sex should be seen as THEY portray it.

How did all those many hundreds of thousands of Jews end up in the USA, Britain,Australia etc etc if the "all powerful" Zionists opposed it. BTW The kinderstransport to Britain was limited by the Nazis.

Do the anti-Israeli idiots really believe that critical thinking can only be taught through sexually explicit poems? Morons, the lot of them. The only criteria they use is to be critical of Israel in every possible dimension.

"The right wing nutters and their religious cohorts face a real and growing problem with the Internet allowing people to be more informed and less controlled." There is no "growing problem." A sexually explicit poem is not permitted to be studied by high school children, you blundering oaf. How many countries (i.e. the United States among others) are the same way?

Israel strives to hurt and kill those who are weaker than she. Beyond that, Israel stands for and promotes very little.

then beautiful words should celebrate them.

Just the other day, in Tel Aviv, I watched a public flogging of a woman had the temerity to hold hands with a man (slut!) and saw three Baha'i hung from lamposts in Haifa. Hysterical, much?

I think this is really going into extreme of calling of what is and is not censorship. Teaching explicit sexual text to kids in public schools is a matter for parents to decide and not for those who advocate for "free" speech. Not sure why Iran needs to be brought into the conversation?

The whole point of education - as opposed to indoctrination - is to leave the students with more questions than answers! That is the whole point of critical thinking which is vital for good citizenship and the perpetuation of free societies.

From bathroom walls to classroom blackboards. That's neither progress, clever, culture nor intelligent. Just further deterioration--progressive desensitization--into depravity.

I have lived in Israel for 32 years and taught high school English in Israel for nearly that long, and therefore consider myself as well-qualified as you, Mr. Gurevitch, to determine whether or not Yoram Kaniuk should keep his opinions on education to himself. He most certainly should NOT. In fact, he is absolutely right, and thank God there are still a few (getting fewer) sane people like him in this country who still believe in tolerance and open-mindedness! Every day I see the enlightened and liberal Israel that I made aliyah to in 1977, slowly surrendering to the forces of darkness. Turning, YES, into Iran. It frightens and sickens me. This "beautiful religion" that you tout is, for example, responsible for the segregation on over 50 bus PUBLIC bus lines in Israel (at least if women could sit in the front....) and the behavior of "hilltop youths" i.e. thugs, who think it is their God-given right to humiliate and harass Palestinians.

-Lincoln time to make your pensioner move to Venezuela, all their press is now gov`t run, just like you like it.-Fox The Venezuelan press is mostly private run as is the TV media. In the U.S., for example, not even the most aggressive right-wing commentators such as Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity would present the idea that the President should be lynched. But Globovision, one of the largest-audience TV networks in Venezuela, had a show where a guest did just that. This is not an isolated example in Venezuela. The media there routinely broadcasts reporting and commentary that would not be allowed under FCC rules here. And the vast majority of the media in Venezuela is still controlled by the right-wing opposition.

Lincoln states that he just can't trust the Jerusalem Post or Haaretz as of late. Ahh isn't that sad. Seems that Lincoln has come to admire and respect the likes of Xinhua and the Syrian Government Press. Nothing like Government press organs to gather your un-censored information. (sarcasm) Lincoln time to make your pensioner move to Venezuela, all their press is now gov't run, just like you like it.

In that case if your children are so special why are they banned from the Internet, watching the television or listening to the radio? In my book that is because the leaders of the haredi wants to limit their knowledge in order to maintain total control on their lives. Not everybody is a religious person, and not everyone should be expected to follow rules that YOU set out for YOUR children. If you expect that, then Israel is a mini version of Iran.

They did irreversible damage to Israeli young by dominating the ed system for years . The results of their activities could be seen in dope-drenched Israelis in the slums of India and other dilapidated third world countries , where they bring a shame on Israel . It is a high time to stop them . And name callings should not take the spotlight from them .

in this issue. Law for everyone, even the inciters, for preserving them, a censorship is more than rational and legal.

someone ought to stop you and educate you on who the haredim are and how they educate their children. You have a very childish understanding of education and certainly no inkling of how religious children are guided in their studies. for thousands of years Jews were quite comfortable in having the 'edge' over any other culture due to the talmudic knowledge & wisdom inculcated into them and the power it brought them. You arrogantly assume non-Jewish education epowers our kids into thinking status- you are lost in the woods on this one. You are a victim of brainwashing and if you had 1/5 of my grandchild's knowledge and logical thought processes, you might see the light. In the meantime, keep typing in the dark! fyi, holocaust education might scare you, but religious kids understand much better and see it in the perspective of truths and consequences. If you are young (ish) perhaps you have a chance to improve your JewIQ!

Chaplain Klausner [the first Jewish chaplain to tend to the survivors of the Dachau concentration camp] stated that most of the refugees from the camps wanted to go to the United States. However he concluded: "I am convinced that the people must be forced to go to Palestine." Alfred Lilienthal, What price Israel?, cited in Our Roots, p.62. In 1938 a British scheme was floated to at least allow entry to Britain of several thousand German Jewish children. "If I knew that it would be possible to save all the children in Germany by bringing them over to England, and only half of them to Eretz Yisrael, then I would opt for the second alternative. For we must weigh not only the life of these children but also the history of the people of Israel." Ben Gurion. Lenni Brenner, Zionism in the Age of the Dictators (Beckenham, Kent, 1983) p.149. In 1947 Congressman William Stratton sponsored a bill to immediately grant entry to the United States of 400,000 displaced persons. The bill was not passed after it was ignored by the Zionist leadership. The Wall Street Journal December 2, 1976 For more on the Stratton bill that was shunned by the American Zionists please read the following document taken from Alfred Lilienthal, What price Israel?. http://desip.igc.org/fromWhatPriceIsrael.html

The moron who gave out the censorship order must be living on a different planet. You can't censor anything these days. Just as you can't stop people down loading of the Internet ANYTHING. THis proves that our politicians are out of touch with the common people. All that will happen now is the kids will go and down load all the sexually explicit poetry they can.

It seems you would prefer the said school simply to teach the values you deem critical for the "survival of the state". Nothing of the kind. The school seems to me to be taking ideas like patriotism, gender identity, national identity, ideas that in Israel are understood in a very closed context and challenging the students to think about these hot button topics, discuss it with their peers under the guidance of the teacher, come to a position and be able to defent that position with cogent argument rather than swalliowing a state interpretation of very improtant questions.

Bob Dylan, hah, and Hurvitz, Yair! have had the opportunity to read. Ask any youngster; what a pity. By the way Bejerano, Maya is also as provotive as the late Wallach, and more subtile and thaught in high schools in Israel. Its a question of inerest some group have to achieve, without regard of unintented consequences of young minds.

if all that was taught in school was the Holocaust to scare the children to blindly follow their instructions. Education and knowledge is power, it appears Israel's politicians don't want their populations to learn critical thought and to develop an attitude which asks questions. Whilst sending their children abroad to be educated.

The right wing nutters and their religious cohorts face a real and growing problem with the Internet allowing people to be more informed and less controlled. Despite attempts by the Haredi to ban the Internet, Israel's children increasingly tech savvy are refusing to be isolated from the International Community and are refusing to be controlled by the religious nutters within Israel wielding much more power than their numbers suggest they should. Ahmedinnerjacket famously said there is no homosexuality in Iran. There are people in Israel who think the same, who are trying to silence all discussion about same sex relationships. I believe this shows there is hope for Israel.

SJ, Control the masses, make money. A high school student who is serious about poetry, or literature in general will get thee to the local public library and discover Yonah Wollach all by their lonesomes, or, if the "teach" wants to recommend some more contemporary stuff, they can offer them "derech agav". Want love poetry? Bialik, Tcernikhovsky, Rachel, even Yehuda HaLevi. That's what ought to be covered, the stuff that they media doesn't ususually discuss. It hasn't been censored. I knew of a literature prof in the States who didn't understand why, in the '60s we were reading Salinger, when we ought to be reading it "on our own", jes' cuz' we like to read what's out there. The joke was that you placed a book on the syllabus after the writer was already part of the canon, or, at least recently gone. Okay, if there is something prurient, then, it can be "suggested reading". Ain't nobody censoring anything. If it's out there, and the kids are curious enough . . .

You've left the actual field of the debate. The centre of the polemics is located in the content of the poetry in question. It is not an all inclusive ban of some of Haim Nahman Bialik or Yehuda Amihay's poetry that refer too, but subtlily, to sexual identification, though in a way that rises the implore the reader to search for the meaning of such conflict of emotions; we are talking of indoctrinating students, some of whom have the capacity to enjoy that contentand be awaken to various senses as they are reflected in such Jewish old poetry such as Shir Hasherim, providing a height sense of artristry that is missing in the fashionable and temporary to your face songs. There are immature people who are in need of guidance, and such a sexual content might disturbe their equilibrium. The Jewish tradition , Talmud and othe lithurgical works, do refer to sex in very unordinary frankness, but within a context, and that still is the beauty. Don't use the spectrum of censership,it is a bogu

Sorry, David. Next time I will avoid irony and sarcasm and hope to be better understood.

SJ I certainly would not want you teaching my children anything at all. Your take on this article was hysterical and shows an ignorance of Iran, and what a truly autocratic society looks and feels like. I sense you have it too good, and are looking for something to get angry and excited about. Unlike Iran, you are always free to leave.

I find the use of the term censorship to be once again a mangling of the language, and this mangling has been brought to us from an author! But this article did make me wonder. First of all, why did Haaretz not print the sexually explicit language, is this censorship, is it not important to the telling of this censorship tale. We all know that if any of us were to use sexually explicit language in any of our posts, the post would never see the light of day. Thus we have a quandry. Is is alright for Haaretz to censor sexual language, while the schools should be free to use whatever language they choose? I for one do not want nor need the state school system teaching my son or daughter about sex. I feel that it is better that they discuss it with their parents, or learn it in the streets. We do not need state sanctioned sex.

Explicit shexplicit, must young people have to read about what they already know?! Why must he schools be au currant on ever' l'l bit o' liter'ture. Want love poetry, Yehuda HaLevi wrote love poems, so did Bialik and Tchernikhovsky. Brenner, if his Hebrew wasn't so alte zachen for our modern tastes would be as dicey, especially his one novel. That be the cannon of Hebrew Literature instead of what was written in the '60s. Hey, Rachel even wrote love poems to Zalman Rubashov-Shazar, a president of the State of Israel, can't get spicier than that, no? The issue is not the prurient content, but the choice and vintage of the literature. Maybe kids ought to be reading more of our Classics than the Contemporary Moderns.

Dear Mr. Gurewicz, I have read Your opinion and i would like to tell You my opinion: You, Jews, are in totally schizophrenic position. As nationalized religious group you are completely depend on your religion and ideology. Because without it, you are just common people from various nations and countries; most of you common Poles, Russians and Germans. You are Pole too, but You don't want be Pole, ... "Secular" Jews are in more schizophrenic position as religious. Yes, if secular live in Israel, they are Israeli at least. But, if they live in other country, who they are? What is their nationality? It is your problem; not poetry...

Children are bombarded with war as well. Maybe it's time to also stop the roll-call with the flag, to withdraw the standing invitation to army representatives to lecture young people within the framework of their school curriculum. We're hearing that Gush Katif evacuees are allowed to lecture schools too, to "communicate their pain". When Israeli children get a normal education (like a full day just for starters), we'll get a political class worthy of such a title. The bunch of mis-educated opportunists we've got at the moment will be the end of us if we don't end disguised propagandizing. Religion is fine, controversy is fine. Party politics and war-mongering are at least as obscene as sexual explicitness. Ban all of them from schools and go back to pure, even-handed education. The rest's for university.

I been saying that for month is not turning is become already the sister of iran

a very stupid comparison.they read the koran not poems in iran

You see no value in "in teaching such poems to students at a high school". Girls in Aussie High Schools are just going to have to get their intro to thoughts and ideas about sex outside of the classroom then? As they mostly do anyhow. Isn't it a bit of a cop out to simply brush such things under the carpet and tell them that your religion says you have to get married first, and whatever you do don't read about Jacob's shenanigans or Dinah's little foibles. Doesn't education this day and age have to include full and varied discussions on issues like sex-as long as they are under the supervision of a teacher in a proper context. eg. in a literature class? Or should they continue to rely exclusively on peer pressure, film media and the web?

While once upon a time I was able to depend upon the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz to report carefully upon all important events in Israel and the occupied territories, I often find that many events are only reported in the foreign press. For example an article in Xinhua today.

I knew Yona Wallach personally and translated a few early poems of her into German. She is definetely one of the leading poets of the 2oth century, a master of Hebrew and should be translated into many languages. Her thinking touched the deepest metaphysical questions of human existence. She was in her way "religious". Thank you Edna Resh for introducing her into high school literature classes. I hope a lot of other teachers do it as well.

I am sorry, but I find it extremely difficult if not impossible to understand what you try to say with your poor english and the rage you spew from all the holes in your head. You should try to calm down or you might get a heart attack, To answer what (I think) you might be saying, please read Ben Gurion's diary. He is quite honest in saying what he did, does, and will do. After all he is one of your admired men, isn't he. And I am stating well known facts. Or do you want me to believe you and not Ben Gurion?

It is impossible to say because how does one know how much is not allowed to be said? But it appears to me that the once free and open Israeli press is being censored much more actively than in past decades in times of peace not just war.

of 16 was burried alive in a honor killing. Suddenly they had no problems with religion or any need for comparison with others who do the same. Their silence here was very enlightening

leads to the collapse of the moral foundations of the society. Consequently this leads to obileration of G-D as well, bc respect for G-D and for man is one and inseparable. Surely sexuality is a natural thing, but there is no need to rub it in in our faces. I think this matter together with Wallace*s books can be left available to the public on bookshelves, but please do respect those, too, to whom sexuality is a hugely private and intimate issue. Else it is pestering.

from advertisements onwards. Schools need to give them balance in their search for identity. Regards,a Freillachen Purim

Just keep posting your one sided diatribes and outright lies. How do you think so many Jews got into the USA post war if the "all poweful" Zionists were pressuring the USA from allowing them to enter.??? The "all powerful" Zionists could not even reverse the White paper that led to the deaths of countless numbers.No doubt you have a spin on that as well.

Absolutely correct! Fanaticism? murders? theft? lies? You deserve the nobel price in hypocrisy.

....that this world would be a much better place without any religion. But when it comes to the Israel and the Iran of 2010, I must admit, that they do have a point indeed...

It's obvious from two quotes in the article attributed to the "poets" in the article, bashing both religion and "flag raising," that they are patiotism, religion bashing leftests, and not just promoters of liberal education. While kids should definitely be taught to think critically...a skill desperately lacking in education today...these "poets" are obviously out to undermine the values of patriotism, and identification with our national religion, both of which are necessary for the survival of the state. Yes, it is the job of the "public" education system to instill these values along side, and not to the negation of equipping the students to critically think. Those who think otherwise should enroll their kids in private or charter schools.

It's a very erotic book. Here's one example out of many: Songs 7:9 - Let me climb the palm, Let me take hold of its branches; Let your breasts be like clusters of grapes, Your breath like the fragrance of apples. (NJPS translation) Now what do you think "climbing the palm" could possibley mean? God having sex with his people Israel? That isn't exactly the reason this book of erotic poetry got into the Bible. It's the Hebrew Kamasutra. And why not ban Chaim Nachman Bialik as well? He wrote some pretty erotc poetry too, You don't think he wrote onl songs of national revival, do you?

I would love to join Edna Resh's class myself.Great teachers, have to be a little crazy and dedicated to the Hebrew language,Banning Yona wallach from Hebrew class is like banning Bob Dylan from ?English classes. Yonah Wallach was a terrific poet. I will not forget some of her lines.So bad she had to die young from breast cancer.

If it truly was a point of principle to the Left, they would object when Chabad and others are prevented from bringing Judaism into the schools. Yet they encourage the boycott.

In this case, nothing! we have educators who decide how and what to teach. Israel is in dire trouble simply due to fools like these authors who think their writings are appropriate for a proper orientation in learning and thinking. To them, anything goes and that is why our secular education is going down the drain. These are Jews who were never educated properly to begin with and have a disdain for Jewish values. They are not role models or sources of valued information for our children. More like immature spoiled brats who never grew up. The leftist experiments in education have continually failed and it is time to raise our kids up - not bring them lower to the depths of some of these authors. WISE MOVE! Anyone who calls Israel a mini-Iran shows how illiterate they are as well as knowledge deprived!

for parents to bring up their children in the ways of the Lord. Not school teachers, or poets, who wish to put themselves above Gods law, by corrupting Gods ten commandments.

any independently thinking person sees straight away the absurdity of the comparison israel will never be iran this is just media hype

If Kanyuk wants his children exposed to smut but not to Judaism, then he should go live abroad.

Israel is most certainly becoming a mini iran with extreme religious parties such as Shas taking more power. Its time to stand up against these evil people who use religion as a means to control the masses and make money.

Of course, banning the teaching of explicit sexual material in schools exactly equals stoning raped women to death. And if you can't see that you're not a member of the intellectual elite!

It would be unfair to single out Israel's Ministry of Education (sic) as a bureaucracy that prefers indoctrination to the defense of autonomous thought. Other countries also accommodate the pigheaded view that young people should be discouraged from thinking critically and for themselves. But one wonders whether said Ministry wants to move in the direction of making students limit themselves to the memorization of paeans to cluster and white phosphorus bombs.

a mini Britain where drunkenness and one night stands among teens is giving rise to the highest unwanted pregnancies in the western world. Nothing wrong with teaching values, that strengthen society and Israel.Drunkenness with violence is already a problem in Israel.More of the same??

Many iranians also believe that in so many ways they are second to none. Failure to accept or encourage criticism and an inability to see the merits in the works or beliefs of others are dangerous. Iran also has many fantastic poets whose work predates Islam. These too have been banned in some instances by religious conservatives with similar concerns. Many Iranian artists and authors also speak out against this kind of censorship. Most of the restrictions in Iran, on women, and clothing, and eduction all happened within the last 30 years and some of them gradually. The question is how many works need to be censored in the name of religion before comparison is complete. And how do you stop it unless you question and criticize every time?

Mr Kaniuk, You may be regarded as a great author but I doubt if you are a great educator. You also are not an authority on religion in general and the Jewish religion in particular. I have been a Principal of a Jewish Girls School here in Australia for the last 40 years. I can tell you that there is no value in teaching such poems to students at a high school. Not only there is no value, but teaching such poems to students who are so young and sometimes immature, often confuses the child and leaves her/him with more questions than answers. Regarding the Jewish religion, it is people who consider themselves as "enlightened" who are ruining our beautiful religion. Please concentrate on writing poems and don't interfere in education. Regarding Iran, I suggest you to go and spend a few months in Teheran and only then you will appreciate life in Israel and the Jewish religion.

What an Insult; in so many areas Israel is second to none!