Dictionary drama: Israel’s existence lost in translation

A chance discovery at a Wenona School grandparents’ day has revealed that a popular children’s dictionary claims Israel’s status as a country is ‘disputed’

A children’s dictionary found in the Wenona School library claims Israel's status as a country is 'disputed'.

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A Sydney couple attending a grandparents’ day at elite North Sydney school Wenona last week made a shocking discovery while browsing through a book display: according to a popular children’s dictionary in the school library, Israel may not exist as a country.

The astonished grandparents found that in the Australian Children’s Illustrated Dictionary, under Countries of the World, the entry for Israel is marked ­“disputed”.

The grandmother, who doesn’t wish to be identified, showed the book to a teacher and told him “I’m going to cross that out”.

The teacher agreed, she said, and she drew a black line through the entry. The books were part of a bundle ordered for the classrooms.

“The librarian only vets the books she chooses, but who goes through every page?” the grandmother told The Australian.

“If this starts when you’re six years old – this is their first year of school – and they say ‘Israel is ­disputed, it’s in my schoolbook’ – when do they learn that’s not ­disputed? When they study ­Middle Eastern studies in uni?”

Extract from the Australian Children’s Illustrated Dictionary found in the Wenona School library claiming Israel's status as a country is 'disputed'. The word has been crossed out by the concerned grandmother who discovered it.

The next day, the grandmother contacted the school principal, Linda Douglas, who wrote back immediately to say multiple copies of the book had been removed from the library.

“The deputy principal caught my daughter-in-law at the next drop-off and said ‘This is appalling – we are all horrified’,” the grandmother said.

Wenona, a private girls’ school established in 1886, has a ­reputation for academic excellence, with 1370 students enrolled from kindergarten through to year 12.

A spokesperson for Wenona on Wednesday said: “We immediately removed all copies of the book from our school and wrote to the publisher urging them to take appropriate action to rectify this matter.”

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip told The Australian: “We greatly ­appreciate the swift and appropriate response of the school. A tendentious book like this does not belong in any school ­library.”

Mr Ossip recommended schools review library ­holdings to ensure the book is ­removed.

Wenona School in North Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson

While the family is grateful for Wenona’s quick response, they are concerned that copies of the book have been widely ­distributed through Australian schools.

The book is not a prescribed text or part of the NSW curriculum but is billed by publisher DK Australia as “an essential ­reference book for young ­Australian readers, writers and educators”.

“The Australian Children’s ­Illustrated Dictionary is specifically aimed at children of six years and up, an age when children are becoming increasingly independent readers and writers, and when a dictionary can be a valuable companion,” the promotional material states.

“This is not another book of endless lists! There are thousands of fresh photos and illustrations that break up the content, to help children remain engaged and maximise their learning ­outcomes.

“This engaging dictionary has been updated to reflect changes in technology and culture, as well as Australian culture and Aboriginal origins of many commonly used words.”

The cover of the Australian Children's Illustrated Dictionary.

The book was updated in 2020 and is available at the Teacher ­Superstore for $35 a copy or $31.50 for bulk orders of 10 or more.

Copies are also held by the ­National Library of Australia and many state and council libraries.

Dorling Kindersley Limited is a British publishing company, part of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann.

Penguin Random House Australia did not respond to repeated requests to explain why Israel would be listed as “disputed” in a children’s educational book.

DK Books headquarters in London and New York also did not respond by deadline.