It's sadly symptomatic that pupils in the Jewish state's schools have little awareness that the Inquisition wasn't an isolated deplorable episode. They lack historical perspective and exposure to the annals of their own people. Their journey through Jewish history is sporadic, in spurts and jerks which defy logic. From the Renaissance they skip backwards to the Second Temple period and from there directly to the 19th century. The chronological loose ends are never tied, and the gaps are not filled.
Jewish history makes uninspiring and disconnected guest appearances on the universal stage.
What will keep these youngsters in the Jewish state, or what it will look like when they take over, is not something I delight to dwell on. Yet Israeli children's lack of pride in their heritage, or empathy for the Jews' history and lot, is no less alarming than their cousins' assimilation in America and Europe. The hat has no intrinsic religious significance. But Basmat intuitively identified it as the symbol it is. Some may denounce her as narrow-minded.