An Israeli schoolbook is being distributed in Jordanian schools the first textbook adapted for use in an Arab country.
by Dan Izenberg
The 32-page manual, entitled "Why cant nations live in peace," was written by Dr. Abraham Stahl, a lecturer at the Ministry of Educations School for Senior Educators, and published by Ofer Press, which specializes in books for kindergarten and primary school children.
A few months ago, Mahmud Alkhalili, an Amman-based book publisher, purchased the rights to the manual. "Alkhalili attended last years Jerusalem International Book Fair and visited our stall," explains Shlomo Aluf, head of Ofer publishing company. "The cover of the manual, which portrays flags of many lands, caught his eye." Aluf, born in Iraq, speaks fluent Arabic and was able to communicate directly with the Jordanian publisher.
According to Aluf, the idea for writing the manual in the first place developed out of the angry demonstrations against Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the Oslo peace process four years ago. "We thought about publishing a manual just on peace, but felt it wouldnt catch on," recalls Aluf. "So we decided to turn it around by making it into a question."
The manual is one of a series written for pre-adolescents, each of which asks a question beginning with the word "Why?" "I went around to different schools and asked the children which questions beginning with the word why, they would like the answers to," says Stahl. "They asked hundreds of questions."
Stahl chose seven of them and turned them into primary school textbooks which have been recommended for use in the schools by the Education Ministry. Other manuals include: "Why are there sometimes no peaceful relations among members of the same family?" and "Why are some children more popular than others?"
Alkhariri reportedly wants to publish all seven manuals in Arabic. "Why do children use bad language?", the second manual, is currently in preparation.
According to Aluf, the Jordanian publisher was attracted to Stahls manual by the flags of 24 countries including Israel which appeared on the cover. The Jordanian manual also includes the flags of 24 countries, but the Israeli flag in the Hebrew version has been omitted and the Jordanian one added.
Stahl explains he had to make many changes in the Hebrew text before it could be translated into Arabic, because the original version relied heavily on the Bible and Jewish folklore. "The Hebrew manual includes Jewish stories, anecdotes and jokes," he reveals. "I replaced Jewish themes with the folklore of Islamic countries."
But one story that was not changed, despite some misgivings by Stahl, told, with the use of a parable, that only God knows which of the three major religions is the one that is closest to Him. "I thought there would be a problem, that the Arabs would never agree to the idea that all three religions are equal," says Stahl. "But the translator and the publisher said they didnt see any problem here. And, indeed, the Arabic version includes the parable."
The Ministry of Education hailed the publication of the manual in Jordan in a special press release, while Stahl issued a statement saying he hoped it would be "a small step forward in the peace process between Israel and her neighbors."