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'Why do some people hate Jews' is an acceptable exam question. Discuss
Exam board comes under fire after pupils are asked 'why some people are prejudiced against Jews'.
OVER 1,000 pupils sitting their religious studies GCSE examinations last week were asked to discuss the reasons behind anti-Semitism, The Jewish Chronicle reports. The exam, set by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance and sat by students last Thursday asked: "Explain, briefly, why some people are prejudiced against Jews."
A spokesperson for AQA said: "The board is obviously concerned that this question may have caused offence, as this was absolutely not our intention". But, she added, the question "acknowledges that some people hold prejudices; it does not imply in any way that prejudice is justified".
Education Secretary Michael Gove has strongly criticised the exam board for setting the question. "To suggest that anti-Semitism can ever be explained, rather than condemned," he said, "is insensitive and, frankly, bizarre. AQA needs to explain how and why this question was included in an exam paper."
Jon Benjamin, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, also took issue with the question. "Clearly this is unacceptable and has nothing whatsoever to do with Jews or Judaism," he told the Jewish Chronicle.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today Programme this morning, Benjamin continued: "This is the wrong question, an ill-conceived question, in the wrong place. It invites students to list as many things as they can think of that are objectionable about Jews, and one wonders what the model answer would be… it's a very unhealthy thing to be asking 16-year-olds in an exam."
AQA's spokesperson said that the question was part of a paper focusing on Judaism and the "relevant part of the syllabus covers prejudice and discrimination with reference to race, religion and the Jewish experience of persecution. We would expect [students to refer] to the Holocaust to illustrate prejudice based on irrational fear, ignorance and scapegoating".
Benjamin appears to disagree, saying: "This is an exam paper about Judaism and it really doesn't ask anything about Judaism. Judaism is not defined by what people hate about Jews. ·
Disqus - noscript
Gove:"To suggest that anti-Semitism can ever be explained, rather than condemned, is insensitive and, frankly, bizarre".
Anti-Semitism is a fact: it exists. If its causes cannot be explained, the conditions that foster it cannot be understood and it cannot be prevented. In that sense, the comments are themselves Anti-Semitic because denying AntiSemitism rather than addressing its causes ensures that it cannot be eliminated
The way the question is put is "Loaded" and has a latent anti-Semitic conitation-
I cannot see how "explain" can ever be wrong. The only reservation I would have is I think it may be that all prejudices against others may have a common root; a need to feel superior and to find scapegoats to avoid accepting failings. That would take the topic beyond RE.
"If there weren't any blacks, we'd have to invent them." Johnny Speight.
The question asks about "prejudice". it implicitly states the attitude is wrong. Hardly anti-Semitic.
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'Why do some people hate Jews'-
I find that will entice not just young students but any one - to look for reasons to hate Jews- That is the question-
How about "Why some people hate protestants or Muslims"- we know many do- That question would never appear-
Now to discuss Judeism, Islam etc in the last 100 years is open-
This question begs one to look for fault.
It is easy to see why some people don't like Jews. They are clever, creative, smart, quick witted and often highly successful. Do you need a good lawyer? Go find a Jewish guy, he's awake above the shoulders. Would you want a Palestinian lawyer pleading your case? Come on, get real. Jealousy is a nasty sin and it motivates anti-semitism. I envy Jewish men. They have the most wonderful mothers on the planet, and wives etc.. Did I say envy?
Oy Vey.
Fair question,now please may we see the model answer
Mazel Tov on your comment! I agree. Now where's that pork pie I left somewhere?
There are two "Kinds" of Jews - and each is subjected to a different kind of prejudice. Russian and East European Jews were predominantly Askenazim, French Jews were predominantly Sephadic. The former were regarded as "rootless", and much like Gypsies. The latter were regarded as a "self-promoting secret society" (not unlike Fremasons) So discrimination against Tevye ("Fiddler on the Roof") has a different cause to "L'affaire Dreyfus". Germany, sandwiched between France and Russia, displayed BOTH kinds of Anti-Semitism.
As a student of antisemitism I would be interested to learn if the responses were collated and statistically analyzed. if so where can the results be found?
It exists so why not try & explain it may I suggest start by reading about the trial of Jesus in the Bible.
And they talk the biggest bollocks
Like most of us, I have not seen the exam question nor took the history course, so, like most of us, I am arguing from principles.
I seem to recall a Christian writer once saying that he didn't mind other writers "hating" Christains, but was irritated to think that Christianity might be "explained" by them. But that desire to explain is a central principle from one of the great world belief systems - Rationalism. Many of us may fail to understand or sympathise with rational examination of ideas, but it's given us the light to see this comment by, and the food to keep our brains alive.
In deference to other people's deeply held belief, those who condemn the asking of this question must also condemn any questioning of Rationlism from exam papers - and of all the faiths, too - and Buddhism, which sometimes seems like a religion, though it invites the practitoner to observe "reality" while using the tool of meditation to examine the self (experiment - a "rational" principle). Oh: and when you ask questions about slavery, don't ask why English people traded in slaves - because my ancestors didn't - they were serfs themselves, so it would offend me.........and so on.....
Just educate the young to ask questions, please. We all have a choice whether to look inside a box or write "Do Not Open" on it. Freedom is better served by a free, informed choice.
Oh, and another thing. Contrary to your headline, the question - as given in the body of your article, does not as 'Why do some people hate Jews'. Prejudice is not the same as hatred - albeit that the effects are largely the same.
I think that people hate Jews because they feel inferior in front of a Jew. It has something to do with jealous that shortly leads to hate.
Your false history narrative shows that the basis for Antisemitism is ignorance.
try your stomach... between your ears.
I think that it is a very good question. Do non Jews feel inferior? Silly thing to say...Only a Jew would think that....I think that the real problem is that Jews feel superior and some people are just sick of knowing it...