Advancing Democratic Culture through Education

What does democratic education look like, taking Germany and Israel as specific examples? The students at the Institute for Democratic Education in Tel Aviv and the Department for Educational Studies at the Martin Luther University in Halle aren’t just grappling with this question in general terms, but are also comparing democratic education in the state school sector in Israel with the inclusive school system in Germany. Where do the similarities and differences lie and what benefits can each side gain from the insights of the respective other education system? These young prospective teachers and education specialists have already looked into these questions together in Israel and will now be able to develop new perspectives on their future area of practice when their Israeli colleagues visit Germany. The context for this is provided by visits to schools in Halle, Jena and Berlin, group subject workshops, discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the relationship between East and West in Germany, talks with teaching staff and management personnel and trips to memorials and other sites of historical and social significance.  In addition to contrasting two different education systems, the participants also compare the similarities and differences between the two societies and forge personal contacts within the group at the same time as future communicators of democratic values.


The “Advancing Democratic Culture through Education” project brings together students at the Institute for Democratic Education in Tel Aviv and the Department for Educational Studies at the Martin Luther University in Halle in Germany. The program includes visits to schools in Halle, Jena and Berlin as well as workshops and discussions. The project takes place between April 9 and May 31, 2012.