Shaping Memory and Morality: A Critical Analysis of the 1948 War and Nakba Representations at Educational Heritage Sites

The 1948 War remains a foundational yet deeply contested event in Israeli and Palestinian collective memory, shaping national identities and informing contemporary political discourse. While celebrated in Israel as the War of Independence, Palestinians commemorate it as the Nakba, marked by dispossession and displacement. The resonance of 1948 is evident in official rhetoric surrounding the 2023–25 Israeli military campaign in Gaza, where political leaders have invoked parallels to the events of 1948 and reframed the operation through symbolic renaming. These contemporary references highlight the enduring power of 1948 as a narrative framework through which present conflicts are interpreted and legitimized. This study examines how three Israeli heritage sites – Khan Sha’ar HaGai National Memorial Site, Gush Etzion Heritage Center, and the Castel Heritage Site – commemorate and teach the 1948 War. Using a multi-method qualitative approach, the research investigates how educational heritage practices contribute to an ideological infrastructure that sustains collective memories. The analysis focuses on commemorative practices, the construction of historical narratives, the use of experiential pedagogy, the temporal framing of the past, and the moral values instilled through these sites, particularly the theme of patriotic sacrifice. The findings illuminate how cultural heritage serves political purposes and how heritage education shapes moral and ideological orientations toward conflict in contemporary Israel.