By Chloe Baker, Senior Opinions Editor
I don’t watch TV often, but when I do, I try to watch something that will get me thinking, rather than just passively letting my eyes glaze over a screen. Weeks ago, when I was recovering from COVID-19 and experiencing spells of insomnia, I discovered an Israeli TV show that I hadn’t previously heard of; Sh’at Efes, or as it’s known in English, The Lesson, is an award winning Israeli mini-series that focuses on larger social issues within Israeli society, framed through what begins as a classroom debate between a left-leaning teacher and a right-leaning student.
I’ve often been told that university is a place for intellectual growth. The point of it is not just to sit in class all day and listen to what professors are saying. We are meant to grow as people, explore our interests and our surroundings, ask questions, be challenged, debate each other and think critically.
But what happens when this isn’t the case? What happens when our homogeneity actually brings us down, rather than serving as a form of unity? What happens when we can’t see or learn from viewpoints other than our own?
Over the past year, as I have grown as a person, and consciously tried to hear from different perspectives, I have noticed a worrying trend in our university, where certain viewpoints seem almost off-limits, and conversations quickly become hostile when someone dares to think differently. While I recognized this problem months ago, it wasn’t until watching the show that I realized the real dangers that can occur when we neglect to think critically and don’t actively listen to the other side.
The show follows Amir, a left-wing high school civics teacher, and Leanne, a stubborn and outspoken student who becomes increasingly drawn to far-right ideology. What begins as an exercise in critical thinking leads to a full on classroom debate about social responsibility, national identity and racism. This further spirals into a heated public controversy of many layers, forcing both main characters to confront their deeply held beliefs.
The show masterfully portrays the dangers of polarization and the human cost of ideological extremism. It explores the dangers of rigidity, the struggle to find common ground, and the consequences of abandoning empathy and open conversations. As the six-episode battle between Leanne and Amir escalates, viewers are reminded of how individuals and communities can become trapped in echo chambers, unwilling or unable to see beyond their own perspectives.
I have had my own experiences, similar to the classroom of Amir, where professors tend to lean more to the left while my classmates lean to the right. I have witnessed students ‘egging’ teachers on, and only engaging in discourse for the sake of arguing, as opposed to listening. I have also overheard conversations where students will openly admit that they do not like a professor simply because of his or her political stance. Watching this show illuminated the dangers of behaviors like this.
The lack of willingness to engage in productive, open-minded discourse, whether that be with professors or fellow students, is one of the core issues that Sh’at Efes touches on so powerfully. The show’s escalating debate between the two main characters is not just about political ideologies; instead, it becomes a battle for ideological purity, and right over wrong. Neither side is willing to entertain the possibility that the other one may be correct, or have valid points, which leads them down dangerous, rigid paths.
I see this mindset occurring all too often in our university as well. Oftentimes we shut out those who think differently than us, whether that be politically or hashkafically. We talk badly about each other based on who we voted for – or, G-d forbid, if someone expresses a different view on Israel they are labeled an ‘anti-Zionist’ or ‘self-hating Jew.’
These diverse perspectives are needed; It’s what makes our university a university. Clearly, by taking the step to pursue higher education, we all want to learn, grow and broaden our viewpoints. There is nothing wrong with criticism, but it’s the immediate alienation, lack of further engagement, and the dislike that stems from inability to listen that is nothing short of problematic.
Disagreement and differing viewpoints can at times be uncomfortable, but it’s this discomfort that allows us to advance and grow as individuals. A real university should be a place where we can encounter differing ideas, not only to challenge us, but to help us refine our own beliefs and assumptions. We can’t dismiss these ideas upon hearing them. Part of being a good listener is being able to listen, even when a person says something you don’t agree with.
In Sha’at Efes, Amir and Leanne’s conflict could have been an opportunity for both of them to grow intellectually, but instead they dug their heels in, unwilling to challenge their own beliefs or to see things from each other’s perspectives. Our ideological differences should not be the cause of a fractured community, but rather an opportunity to learn from one another, to ask questions and engage with nuance and sensitivity.
Questioning is not just done in relation to the outside world. It must be in relation to ourselves, our biases and the way we view those around us. We have an obligation not to only seek truth from the world but to engage with truth from every side.
The most powerful part of the show comes in the final scene, when Leanne, having gone through a traumatic experience, finds herself turning to the very person she had been so violently at odds with – her teacher Amir. In an intense twist that highlights the deep human cost of ideological polarization, it is Amir, the person she was so heavily opposed to, who is there for her when she truly needs support. This moment serves as a reminder that in times of real hardship, it’s not our ideological purity that will support us, but our shared humanity.
The show reminded me of a really important lesson. No matter how entrenched we become in our beliefs, we are all human beings who need each other. This echoes a theme that resonates strongly within the context of university life. At Yeshiva University, we often find ourselves surrounded by people who are the same as us. We are all Jewish and a lot of us attended the same institutions growing up; we all have this familiarity that other universities don’t possess. This familiarity is a positive thing, and because of this, it is crucial to remember that we are all connected by something way deeper than our political or ideological views. Like Amir and Leanne, we might find that the people we least expect to understand or support us can become our strongest allies when we let go of rigid thinking and open ourselves to empathy.
If we don’t internalize this lesson, we might bear the cost of closed minds.
Photo Caption: The YU Beren campus
Photo Credit: Emily Goldberg / the YU Observer