Gabe Freeman

Sports Editor

Earlier this month, about 200 missiles were launched into Israel from the Gaza strip. These rockets came after the IDF killed a terrorist plotting an attack on Israel. The violence has calmed down since, but why has this incident been overlooked at Milken? Sure, this is not the first time rockets have been sent into the southern part of Israel, but does that make it less significant?  If you were to ask every one of the 573 high school students about the recent escalation between Israel and Gaza, how many would actually know what you were talking about? How many would know about the Iron Dome, Israel’s new missile defense system that intercepted many of these rockets?

I keep up with Israeli current events on the Jerusalem Post, a website that I started reading after Tiferet. I do not think a student has to go on Tiferet, though, to be interested in Israel. In fact, I know this is true because in my Hebrew class, the freshmen and sophomores had quite a few questions about the current state of our homeland. They were so interested that we spent class time talking about the most relevant conversations in Israel right now. This was not a devious plan to waste time and our teacher could sense that. Rather, it was a wake up call that Milken students need to be more educated about Israel. Our conversation covered a wide variety of topics that ranged from Iran to the West Bank to the political structure of the Israeli government. These are all relevant to Israelis today, so why do they get overlooked at Milken? The mission statement at our school says each student should “foster a deep connection to Israel.” So are we actually fostering a deep connection to Israel?

Our school does a good job of teaching students about Judaism, but needs to incorporate more about Israel. I have heard ideas like extracurricular or after school clubs to talk about Israel, but the truth is kids will not choose this over play practice and sports. It must be a part of the education that every child receives at Milken. A senior seminar class as a second semester senior does not make up for three and a half years of lost time. Rather, it must be integrated into Milken’s curriculum so every student can learn about the Iron Dome and about the current threat Iran poses on Israel. It could be as simple as reading the Israeli newspaper every morning in class, or maybe it is time that the school offer an Israel course. Regardless, it is time for a change because Israel is a huge part about being Jewish and about going to Milken, and every student should be educated about our sacred country.