Changes in Israel's education system are designed to increase the Israeli's ability to fit into the contemporary civilization. Israeli education also seeks to transmit Jewish heritage and foster a sense of communal solidarity. This paper presents a historical overview of Israeli education and the adaptations it has made in response to sociocultural changes in society. It describes pre-state Zionist education, adaptations made in the first generation of statehood, changes during the 1970s brought about by the empowerment of former Israeli minorities, alterations made during the 1990s, and future trends. The profile of education in the 1990s is characterized by a shift from ideological to instrumental goals, increased reliance on parents for funding education, promotion of individual goals versus group solidarity, reduced education budgets, and an increase in sports subsidies (informal education) at the expense of formal education. Future issues include privatization, local autonomy, the relationship of minority groups to education, the integration of different ethnic groups, and group solidarity versus individualism. The report concludes with overviews of tertiary education and vocational education in Israel. (LMI)