The author begins with the example of George Orwell’s 1984 and the changing of history. Through this example the author describes how different conceptions of history have deep epistemological roots that perpetuate the memory of the past and enforce national memory. While there is a distinct difference between history, which sees the past from multiple perspectives, and memory, which views the past from a single vantage point, there are some commonalities. Historians centre their understandings of the past on analysis and interpretation of social situations and sources. The chapter aims to explore the way authors of textbooks have dealt with the tensions between collective memory, which will enhance national identification and critical history and promote historical thinking. Many studies have stated that textbooks contain facts, however the author argues that facts cannot be removed from interpretation. For example, he follows the changing depiction of the second-century revolt against the Romans and the rule of Israel. The changing of the accounts in the textbooks has social and political goals, according to the author, and it has implications for education. Textbooks in Israel in the 1950s-1960s discussed a mesmerizing past, 1970s and 1980s an ‘objective’ past and in the 1990s a universal past. History textbook narratives change with each new generation and the social and political factors; they narrate history for students and suppress alternative accounts. The author concludes with a discussion for the need to revamp history textbooks that are less authoritative and aid to switch to historical understanding. Students can think historically, however history education has to go further than textbooks to engage students in critical thinking.