This past week, our synagogue held a debate focusing on issues in the Middle East. We had two pro-Israel representative and two pro-Palestinian representatives. One of the more calm and collected individuals defending the Palestinian cause was Al-Haaj Ghazi Khankan. Ghazi has spent the last 30 years promoting a more positive and peaceful view of Islamic behavior. One the main positions that he kept coming back to in the debate was the notion of education. The most critical thing that we can do to build peace in the Middle East is through education. The way in which we educate our young will without a doubt change the course of history. Brother Ghazi was entirely right but for the wrong reason.

This week in Parshas Va’eschanan we read what has become one of the most famous passages in our liturgy – the Shema. “Hear o Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.” The crescendo of this magnificent paragraph is not a mandate to change the world, or conquer peoples, but rather it leads right into our most basic obligation – "ושננתם לבניך" – and you shall teach the message of Judaism to your children. The most celebrated Jewish Holiday, the Passover Seder, also – makes its primary agenda the children, educating the next generation. Brother Ghazi is right, education is the key to saving the world.

If educating our children is so powerful, I would ask Ghazi how afraid should we be when children in a Hamas summer camp, while putting on a graduation ceremony, reenact the abduction of Gilad Schalit. These children are finished. They have just spent some of the most memorable days of any child’s life learning that kidnapping is beautiful. (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1248277897225&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)

Education is an important message but let us not forget to focus on the right curriculum.