In the thirteenth chapter of Rosenthal’s Book “The Israelis” she focuses on the Bedouin. The Bedouin are an ethnic group in Israel that settles in Negev. The Bedouin used to be a nomadic group. Since the creation of the state of Israeli their nomadic ways have been affected. The majority of the Bedouin population is below the poverty level. They live under terrible conditions. They do not have electricity, running water, and have poor educational facilities. The Bedouin culture is extremely patriarchal. Rosenthal illustrates how a male ruled society affects women in this culture. One of the major points she makes is how due to fact that they can no longer live nomadically the role of women has drastically changed (Rosenthal, P. 282). There has been a slow progress in allowing women to get educated, some have been able to attend universities, but the numbers are still extremely low.
Rosenthal cites that the 99% of Bedouin women over forty are illiterate (P.281) that is extremely high. In the time when the Bedouin were a nomadic people the role of women is described as “whole factories” (Rosenthal, P.282) and men were their helpers. It seems that before women did a lot of the work, they sewed, cooked, harvested, and milked animals. It seems that the roles have shifted now women are the least educated and they also do not contribute to the tribe as much as they used to. It seems now they are there to bare children and take care of them. They no longer have the one active role they once did and this can take a toll on ones life. Women begin to only be wives and mothers and nothing else (Rosenthal, P. 282). Rosenthal describes them as “prisoners” in their own homes (Rosenthal, P.282). Women’s lives at home are also mentioned in an article on the UN Refugee Agency website. It says that Bedouin women are confined to their homes and are not participating outside of their homes. This is why it is important to educate these women and even the Bedouin men. Education can provide them with the knowledge they need in order to survive in this ever changing society, especially when their traditions are being affected. The Bedouin in Negev have bad educational facilities and they are not funded properly (Rosenthal, p.280).
There have been some women who have broken the social norms and attend school. Although a lot of the young girls who do attend school are prone to harassment. Women are not suppose to go anywhere without a male escort, and some girls have actually left their villages and studied on campus in the dormitories of a university. This challenges the norms of the patriarch rules of the Bedouin (Rosenthal, P.283).
So, what is the Israeli government doing about these poor educational conditions and how is it going to change Bedouin women’s lives?
According to Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs website outlines what the government wants to do in order to help Bedouin conditions. They have started taking a focus on education. To begin they have established plans to fund Arab education. The schools in Israel teach are not Arab focused. Bedouin would benefit from having schools that do have a focus on Arabs culture or are at least culturally sensitive. The funding for Arab schools could continue to wedge a hole and separate the Bedouin from the rest of Israel. It is clear though that education will help the Bedouin in changing their economic situation. These changes are difficult as described by Dr. Yosef Ben-David in the MFA website, “the transition from a traditional, conservative society which only a generation ago was nomadic, entails relinquishing values, customs and a traditional economy.” These changes will be met with resistance because the Bedouin have strong cultural values that do not coincide with those of the rest of the country. According to the MFA website a lot of the schools for the Bedouin have been renovated and conditions have changed. Resources are being provided. Some schools do have young girls enrolled, although it is mostly boys. The Bedouin are really a displaced people their beliefs do not work in the dominant society that they are living in.
Education opens many doors for any individual. In Israel, the Bedouin are very traditional and it makes it hard to provide education for them. It’s a very difficult situation, because how does one help a community, when that help is against their beliefs? The important thing is that there are changes, women are becoming educated and they are returning to their communities to share the information. They want to change those prison walls that the women call homes to something more liberating. It is through education about birth control, human rights and health services that these women will no longer suffer the oppression of their communities and perhaps help their entire villages with this knowledge.
In thinking about the reliability of these articles, I understand that the MFA would put out information that would make them look good, considering that the Bedouin are extremely unsatisfied with the fact that budgets for their cause are often cut. Although it is clear that many Bedouin do receive financial help from the Israeli government. The website does outline some of the things Israel is trying to do to make better conditions for the Bedouin. The Refugee Agency website dedicated much more time to the situation of women as we see in Rosenthal. It is acting as a voice for many of the Bedouin women who suffer domestic violence or abuse and therefore I do not see why it would be unreliable.
Rosenthal cites that the 99% of Bedouin women over forty are illiterate (P.281) that is extremely high. In the time when the Bedouin were a nomadic people the role of women is described as “whole factories” (Rosenthal, P.282) and men were their helpers. It seems that before women did a lot of the work, they sewed, cooked, harvested, and milked animals. It seems that the roles have shifted now women are the least educated and they also do not contribute to the tribe as much as they used to. It seems now they are there to bare children and take care of them. They no longer have the one active role they once did and this can take a toll on ones life. Women begin to only be wives and mothers and nothing else (Rosenthal, P. 282). Rosenthal describes them as “prisoners” in their own homes (Rosenthal, P.282). Women’s lives at home are also mentioned in an article on the UN Refugee Agency website. It says that Bedouin women are confined to their homes and are not participating outside of their homes. This is why it is important to educate these women and even the Bedouin men. Education can provide them with the knowledge they need in order to survive in this ever changing society, especially when their traditions are being affected. The Bedouin in Negev have bad educational facilities and they are not funded properly (Rosenthal, p.280).
There have been some women who have broken the social norms and attend school. Although a lot of the young girls who do attend school are prone to harassment. Women are not suppose to go anywhere without a male escort, and some girls have actually left their villages and studied on campus in the dormitories of a university. This challenges the norms of the patriarch rules of the Bedouin (Rosenthal, P.283).
So, what is the Israeli government doing about these poor educational conditions and how is it going to change Bedouin women’s lives?
According to Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs website outlines what the government wants to do in order to help Bedouin conditions. They have started taking a focus on education. To begin they have established plans to fund Arab education. The schools in Israel teach are not Arab focused. Bedouin would benefit from having schools that do have a focus on Arabs culture or are at least culturally sensitive. The funding for Arab schools could continue to wedge a hole and separate the Bedouin from the rest of Israel. It is clear though that education will help the Bedouin in changing their economic situation. These changes are difficult as described by Dr. Yosef Ben-David in the MFA website, “the transition from a traditional, conservative society which only a generation ago was nomadic, entails relinquishing values, customs and a traditional economy.” These changes will be met with resistance because the Bedouin have strong cultural values that do not coincide with those of the rest of the country. According to the MFA website a lot of the schools for the Bedouin have been renovated and conditions have changed. Resources are being provided. Some schools do have young girls enrolled, although it is mostly boys. The Bedouin are really a displaced people their beliefs do not work in the dominant society that they are living in.
Education opens many doors for any individual. In Israel, the Bedouin are very traditional and it makes it hard to provide education for them. It’s a very difficult situation, because how does one help a community, when that help is against their beliefs? The important thing is that there are changes, women are becoming educated and they are returning to their communities to share the information. They want to change those prison walls that the women call homes to something more liberating. It is through education about birth control, human rights and health services that these women will no longer suffer the oppression of their communities and perhaps help their entire villages with this knowledge.
In thinking about the reliability of these articles, I understand that the MFA would put out information that would make them look good, considering that the Bedouin are extremely unsatisfied with the fact that budgets for their cause are often cut. Although it is clear that many Bedouin do receive financial help from the Israeli government. The website does outline some of the things Israel is trying to do to make better conditions for the Bedouin. The Refugee Agency website dedicated much more time to the situation of women as we see in Rosenthal. It is acting as a voice for many of the Bedouin women who suffer domestic violence or abuse and therefore I do not see why it would be unreliable.
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