ABSTRACT

The essay reconstructs, from a historical-legal perspective, the educational system of the State of Israel where, since its foundation (1948), a pluralist system has been in force, structured on the basis of the religious demands of the main ethnic groups – Jewish, Arab-Muslim, Druze, Arab-Christian – present on its territory. The Israeli educational model recalls in this sense – albeit from peculiar historical premises – the typical scheme of personal statutes in the Ottoman tradition (millet), set up to protect the identity autonomy of the individual ethnic-religious communities. The lack of a unified educational programme ended up accentuating internal social fragmentation. It is precisely on the analysis of these critical issues, and on the related theme of balancing religious freedom and equality, that this work intends to focus.