Einstein is devastated

Senior physicists in Israel were amazed to discover that in the last matriculation exam in physics, the chapter "Physics in Judaism" appears, which tries to bend science in favor of the Jewish tradition. After being convinced that it is not a hoax, they define the questions as nonsense, embarrassing ignorance, abuse of science and students, and giving religion a foothold in science classes

28.6.2002
By: Oriya Shavit
Prof. Moshe Moshe, a lecturer in the physics faculty at the Technion, couldn't believe his eyes when he looked at the chapter "Physics in Jewish sources" that appears in the matriculation exam in physics. "If I saw such a matriculation exam with the Taliban in Afghanistan, I would say that they can be believed," he says. "We think of the State of Israel as a modern country, among the best in the world in the sciences - and suddenly we encounter such an embarrassing matriculation exam, which comes from the Ministry of Education. I brought the exam to the cafeteria of the Technion, I showed it to my friends, and they said it couldn't be. In correspondence on the Internet, people were sure which is a hoax."

Prof. Moshe was not the only one who revolted at the sight of his eyes. Quite a few physicists in the scientific community were upset this week following the publication in the "Haaretz" supplement about the religious chapter in the matriculation exam in physics (five units). Some of the senior physicists and astrophysicists who reviewed the examination found in it "shameful and humiliating" factual errors, improper mixing of religion and science, and echoes of Christian fundamentalist views.

"What the Ministry of Education did in this examination is shameful, it is spiritual abuse of children," says Prof. Elia Leibovich from Tel Aviv University. "The Council for Child Safety should be involved in the matter. There is complete nonsense in the exam. The trend of the exam is to show that there is no contradiction between religion and science, and this led to the presentation of questions that have nothing to do with physics."