Presentation in the Federal Foreign Office of findings by the German-Israeli Textbook Commission
The Federal Foreign Office and the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research presented the findings and recommendations of the German-Israeli Textbook Commission (DISBK) in Berlin on 23 June, jointly with the Mofet Institute - Research, Curriculum and Program Development for Teacher Educators - based in Tel Aviv. The findings were presented under the title “Images of Others” and then reviewed during a podium discussion.
The DISBK programme, which is coordinated by the Georg Eckert Institute, investigated over 400 textbooks approved for the subjects history, geography and social studies. The portrayal of Israel in over 90 textbook chapters was analysed, as was the image of Germany in over 40 Israeli textbooks (chosen from approximately 100 approved texts). The Commission compiled a detailed set of recommendations aimed at resolving or eliminating errors, distortions or omissions. The joint textbook recommendations were presented to the public on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The findings and recommendations have been published as Volume 5 of the Eckert.Expertise series, which is available online[1].
The overwhelming majority of the German textbooks analysed clearly attempted to present an objective and balanced depiction of Israel. However German textbooks for all three subjects featured Israel almost exclusively in the context of conflict in the Middle East. The DISBK also criticised particular features of the depiction of Israel in German textbooks. One such criticism resulting from the study referred to the nature and implementation of images in textbooks. The considerable influence of the mass media is clearly evident in the visual concept applied to the Middle East conflict. The textbooks frequently use highly symbolic and evocative images, showing Israel as the aggressor. Only a few textbooks encourage an analysis of the pictures, questioning the intentions behind them and the statements they make. ‘With regards to their widespread dissemination textbooks can be classed as a mass medium. However, one decisive difference is that textbooks do not have to, in fact must not, clamour for attention by being sensationalist or topical. Their role is to convey educational and structured knowledge and to help students and pupils objectively weigh up different perspectives’, explains Professor Simone Lässig, director of the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research. ‘We expect rational discussions and specialised knowledge from good quality textbooks, rather than a moralising or emotional stance’, she adds.
Apart from the description of National Socialist Germany, which logically dominates in Israeli textbooks that address the Holocaust, history books from Israel focus on German Medieval history in quite some detail, specifically in the context of the European enlightenment and the emergence of national movements in Europe since the end of the eighteenth century. The subjects are generally treated even-handedly and matter-of-factly. However, none of the Israeli textbooks, in any of the three subjects examined, contain a comprehensive depiction of Germany since 1945. Geography and social studies books contain sporadic references to the Federal Republic of Germany in various contexts, predominantly with positive connotations (e.g. in geography books in reference to economic data or environmental protection or in social studies books in relation to the development of democratic forms of government).
To ensure the longevity of the recommendations the Georg Eckert Institute is planning to extend the activities of the DISBK to offer training courses for textbook authors and publishing house employees. The intention is also for Israeli and German academics and teachers to produce joint teaching modules, which, in addition to their practical use in the classroom, could act as a model for the portrayal of Israel in German textbooks and the image of Germany in Israeli textbooks.
