SUPERSPREADERS

Dr Sarah Bernstein, Director of the Rossing Centre in Jerusalem has a passion for healing the deep wounds in the Holy Land. In a recent bulletin she wrote:

‘We need superspreaders – not those who spread disease, darkness and fear – but those who kindle the lights of dialogue, openness, equality and justice for all people. And, in our Holy Land context, we need them more than ever.

The Nation-State Law, passed in the summer of 2018, was cited to deny Arab school children reimbursements for transportation costs to their school. The Arab students, from six to ten years old, attend school outside of the city of Carmiel because the city has no Arab schools.

The court ruled in favour of the municipality, on the grounds that providing such services would go against the city’s right to preserve its Jewish character (the implication being that such services, let alone establishing a school for the city's Arab children, would attract more Arab families to move into the city).

Sadly, this is probably not the last time the Nation-State law will be used to discriminate against people on the basis of their ethnicity or religion.’