Missing Half the Nation: The Education System Promised to Teach More About Mizrahi Jewry — What Actually Happened?
A decade after the Biton Committee report aimed at strengthening the study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish heritage, most recommendations remain unimplemented. Teachers and academics report only cosmetic changes, while the Education Ministry claims broad integration. The committee recommended a budget of 250 million shekels per year, but in practice budgets were cut.
A decade has passed since the Biton Committee report was submitted to Education Minister Naftali Bennett, intended to bolster the study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish heritage in the education system. The committee, headed by poet Erez Biton, recommended deep changes in history, literature, civics, trips, and academia, including creating a heritage track, mandatory study of Mizrahi poets, root trips to Morocco and the Balkans, and establishing a central museum. It demanded a budget of 250 million shekels per year for five years. However, most recommendations remained on the shelf, and field data indicate the change has not materialized. Civics teacher Sivan Hadad says changes were only cosmetic, and Prof. Haviva Pedaya, a committee member, notes that academic recognition was not accompanied by budgets. The Education Ministry, in contrast, claims it led a broad systemic move, including integrating content into curricula and matriculation exams, and expanding learning in compulsory subjects, such as the new program 'Shvilei Moreshet'.