ChinuchAtHome

If you are a homeschooling family and wish to make aliyah, you need to know a few things about how to homeschool successfully in Israel. You will have to learn the ropes of dealing with a few agencies including the Jewish Agency, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Absorption. Read on to find out more.

Without All the Facts

Many potential olim who are thinking about making aliyah to Israel are not equipped with all the facts about living in Israel. It is hard to get all the information you need before making aliyah. M ost of the information will not be given to you unless you are already living here, such as the types of medicines that you can and cannot get in Israel, the types of schools and their actual reputation, not the publicised reputation, the actual cost of living in Israel, the reputation of the various HMO's in Israel, etc.

Why are You Making Aliyah?

It is a great mitzvah for every Jew to live in Israel. That mitzvah alone overrides everything imperfect about the state of Israel, because first of all, you are living in accordance with Hashem's will, who designated the Land of Israel to be the perfect home for the Jews. Note that the "state" of Israel is not equal to the "land" of Israel. The state refers to the way the country is being run today, without guidance of Torah, and without righteous lawmakers.

Imagine spending all your chagim in Israel. The weather for each Chag is perfect. Sukkos especially is made for Jews in Israel. I can't imagine not fulfilling living in the Sukkah all 7 days of the holiday due to snow and rain. In Israel, it usually doesn't rain in Sukkos, and if it does rain, it is only temporary, for less than an half an hour and then the sun appears and everything dries up like the rain never happened. I can't imagine not living in Israel during Chanukah time, when you get to tour the actual places where the events in Chanukah too place. I can't imagine not spending your Pesach in Israel, where you only have one opportunity to do it right on the first and only night of the Seder. Shavuos is not the time to spend it on Har Sinai in Saudi Arabia. The place to be during Shavuos is in Israel as Klal Yisrael renew their obligations to accept both the Written and the Oral Law willingly. Even though the Bais Hamikdash has not yet returned to its place, it would be wonderful to fulfill the Shalosh Regalim (3 Pilgrimages) to Israel for the holidays of Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos.

If the only reason you want to live in Israel is to become closer to G-d, then it overrides every other thing imperfect about the state of Israel. You will quickly see once you've made aliyah in your first few months that nothing really works according to natural law in Israel, except under the loving guiding hand of Hashem. Everything is driven by Hashgacha Pratis, I mean, literally everything. There is no angel governing the lives of the Jews in Israel, only Hashem. Hashem oversees the running of the Land of Israel, but leaves it to the Jews to run the country amok through free will. Jews in Chutz La'aretz (Diaspora) are subject to the laws of the governing angel of the host country. Every time a Jews does a mitzvah in the Chutz, he/she is strengthening the kedusha of the host country.

The Hebrew Language

Life may be comfortable in Chutz, and life is not exactly comfortable in Israel. First of all, you will have to contend with the Hebrew language, which is not exactly Loshon HaKodesh, if you haven't found out already. If you take ulpan, you will learn from your teacher hopefully, that the rules are different, there is Ivrit Yafah (beautiful Hebrew with politeness) and then there is Ivrit Meduberet (the spoken Hebrew, which is quick and coarse).

You might even feel discouraged that the majority of Israelis who are behind the customer service (if any) of any organization or commercial establishment don't know English. English is not taken seriously in Israel. Many chiloni Jews learn English from watching uncensored television and want to show off to you how much they know. English is taught in Israeli schools but at a very low level, and is not spoken among Israelis, unless their parents are Anglos. And even then, their level of English is very poor, much much poorer than other third world countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India. And even if they could speak, they cannot read or write or spell English properly.

Many olim thinks that the Israeli education system can fix everything. Well, that's where it goes imperfect. That's where things don't work in Israel. The very educational system is very poor. Israel ranks at the bottom compared to many other countries.

Where do homeschoolers fit in? As far as acquiring Ivrit goes, homeschoolers can participate in ulpans both private and municipal. They are welcome to learn the language through immersion by interacting with Hebrew-speakers in various life situations. Being in a school environment for six days a week is not necessary in order to acquire the language, especially if the school environment is incompatible with healthy learning and living.

The Israeli Culture

Israelis are proud of their culture. What are they proud of? Their aggressiveness in dealing among themselves and with the world be it in commerce or politics. Chutzpahdik is a household term. Telunah (Complaint) is also another household word. Israelis love to complain about everything. Israelis are proud of their negative traits such that these traits are published in textbooks used in ulpans across the country, where olim gets a taste of what it is really like to be an Israeli and asked to define an Israeli in ulpan coursework and examinations. Most olim will agree with their ulpan teachers about what defines an Israeli and it isn't a pretty picture. It is as though Israelis are a separate race altogether and olim remain a foreign entity in the country they have called home.

The Israeli culture permeates across all situations from waiting in bus lines, banks, hospitals, clinics, groceries, schools. Israelis speak out their minds, even while driving on the highways. Highway aggression is quite common these days. If you are in the backseat of a taxi, you will often hear the driver cursing at the pedestrian who thinks he has the right of way.

Within the school system, teachers can be found abusive to their students via name calling and it is readily accepted as a way of life and teachers will not be reprimanded for their abusive behavior. What we olim consider abusive, is "the culture" here in Israel. Violence is readily tolerated within the school system, depending upon the management of the schools. There are very few schools which do the right thing regarding violence. Police are banned from getting involved with violence committed among students under the age of 12.

Schools tend to place regular and "special" students with issues together in the same classrooms and expect the regular students to accept whatever negative social behaviors and abuse from the "special" kids. These kids actually get protection from the teachers even if they misbehaved.

Making Aliyah with NBN

If you plan on making aliyah with Nefesh B'Nefesh, and plan on continuing to homeschool your children in Israel, you should be well informed about your choices. For one thing, NBN will coerce you into submitting your children into the Israeli education system with reasons such as socialization and integration into Israeli society. The S word for socialization is a fighting word to homeschoolers. They truly encourage you to accept the culture and be a part of it. After reading this far, you should know that the Israeli society is not such an easy society to integrate into. A society that does not embrace Torah is just as foreign as any other society outside Israel.

There is a lot of adjustment period for olim. Dumping your children into Israeli schools is not the first wise decision. Let your family enjoy being in Israel first, and let them feel the connection to G-d. After all, that is why you made aliyah. To be closer to Hashem. Enjoy being a homeschooling family in Israel. Don't change your lifestyle overnight just because you have made the decision to come home.

You have to be adamant about your rights and your choices. Homeschooling is perfectly legal in Israel, although the Ministry of Education requires that homeschooling families register with them and acquire a permit before they can legally homeschool. In truth, 99% of homeschooling families in Israel homeschool successfully without a permit, and integrate successfully into the Israeli society, participate in the army, take the bagrut, homeschool in English and continue to treat Ivrit like any other foreign language requirement. If the MOE were to be religious, they would understand that each father has the halachic obligation to educate his son, and if he is unable to do so, he has to hire a melamed to educate his son in Limudei Kodesh. There is no obligation to send your Jewish children to schools in order to provide an education for your children.

There is a strong and active homeschooling community in Israel called the Israel Home Education Association that I suggest you join and network and get advice.

Alternatives to Homeschooling

Many homeschoolers participate in distance learning programs from the USA for high school as well as for elementary and secondary schools. Distance learning has been well established and many of them have USA and international accreditation. When you enroll your children in these programs, they are technically private school students and no longer considered homeschooling. Anybody can enroll in distance learning programs and not be a homeschooler. Why not a homeschooler too?

Through this distance learning programs for high schools, one can earn an American High School Diploma rather than a GRE, both of which are accepted in Israel.

Having the option of enrolling your children as private school students of these internationally accredited learning programs, olim families can make aliyah and sleep at night knowing that they are providing for their children's education, albeit not through the Israeli school system. May Hashem help you in dealing with the challenges imposed upon your family by the immigration and absorption agencies in Israel against homeschooling.

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