City council approves curriculum on Israel initiated by Israeli Consulate in New York; curriculum to be integrated into training program for educators teaching in 1,400 public high schools

by Yaniv Halili

NEW YORK – The New York City Council’s education committee approved a curriculum on Israel initiated by the public relations department of the Israeli Consulate in New York.

The curriculum will be integrated into the training program for educators teaching in 1,400 public high schools in New York City. The teachers will be able to register to a 30-hour course dealing with the history of the State of Israel, its economy, the high-tech industry, Israeli art and Ethiopian Jews.

The incentive offered to teachers who will take the course: Credit points for an academic degree.

The teachers responded so positively to the course, that by the third day of registration all seats were taken. Following the teachers’ request, the consulate decided to add more seats.

Israeli Consul General in New York Aryeh Mekel said that “through the teachers a generation of leaders will be educated to maintain the special relations between the United States and Israel.”

We are not bringing politics, but are exposing them to Israel as we know it and as we would like people to know it,” he added.