Ministry of Education Provides Additional Support for Teachers in Dealing with Hamas Attack in Israel

After the Islamist terrorist attack Hamas In Israel, the Ministry of Education has provided teachers with additional information material and is offering them online seminars. As expected, the attack on Israel has played a major role in lessons in recent weeks, said Schools Minister Dorothee Feller (CDU) on Thursday. The expanded educational offerings are intended to make it easier to deal with “this topic that is as emotional as it is complex.” New material on anti-Semitism prevention has also been put online.

Students report sometimes heated and extremely confrontational discussions in class about the Gaza war.

The school management in North Rhine-Westphalia was already prepared with information materials on how to deal with this before the end of the autumn break Middle East conflict been provided. Feller now said that the teachers are knowledge brokers and confidants for the students. Through their commitment and discussions with the classes, they “make a significant contribution to maintaining a respectful and peaceful school climate.”

For teachers, the ministry, together with the anti-Semitism advice center Sabra and the state school psychology office, is offering three online seminars in November. Sabra also offers an open digital consultation hour every Monday for teachers to exchange ideas.

Israel’s army has been bombing targets in the coastal enclave since the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 on behalf of the Gaza Strip’s ruling Hamas, which killed hundreds of people. Thousands of deaths are now being reported there too. Since then, there has been an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Germany.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:231026-99-712827/2