Faculty petition against speaker on anti semitism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:op - to answer some qs. I dont want to name the speaker here bc that would be identifying. I have looked into her profile - she is quite a progressive speaker on these issues. She DOES work for an org that believes Israel should exist, and has been to israel herself and written about being there during conflict so she does have some geo political background in this arena but has also spoken out publicly that having concern and sympathy for the palestinian people is absolutely not at odds with anti semitism. I'm sure there were pieces in there that some people perhaps didn't love (but hard to find a speaker on anti semitism whose job it is to do that but who does not believe in israel).

I know bc it has been widely discussed among parents and the principal has spoken about it 1:1 with some people but not addressed it on a larger level.

I obv dont have all the details which is why it's a complex and unsettling situation. I would like more details. I dont think names are necessary.

Why is it so complex and unsettling? People have the right to petition in a functioning democracy. And you don’t even know what, or even if they’re petitioning at this point. It seems premature to come on to this forum and cast suspicion or accusation on teachers who may have valid conscientious rationale for their beliefs, which it sounds like they may be addressing through appropriate channels.

i'm not naming names.
I'm saying I know it exists and it has not been shown to me and thus I am uncomfortable. they may well have rational reasons but having not seen it, am I just to accept that multiple of my child's teachers had an issue with a speaker on anti semitism but no issue with a speaker on islamophobia. of course they have the right to protest, no one is saying they don't. But I'm not sure I love paying $60k a year per kid for teachers who may not believe that prejudice against my child is something we should be teaching is wrong.

[Anonymous]

I’d like to know more….what school was this? I would find it problematic if teachers were protesting an antisemitism speaker. I agree it would be unsettling. I highly doubt a school would bring in an antisemitism speaker who was highly controversial— so it would concern me that the speaker’s view is that Israel has the right to exist, and THAT is what the teachers found offensive.

[Anonymous]

But why do you assume that they are petitioning against teaching about the topic of antisemitism and why it is wrong?

Couldn't there be a reason this particular speaker is problematic? The topic itself doesn't seem to be the issue.

[Anonymous]

There is nothing to petition about teaching antisemitism. When was the last time you ever heard ANY faculty protesting any speaker at a private school in the DMV? I find this deeply disturbing and also find the posters above disturbing as well. It is the case positive of why there needs to be a speaker at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But why do you assume that they are petitioning against teaching about the topic of antisemitism and why it is wrong?

Couldn't there be a reason this particular speaker is problematic? The topic itself doesn't seem to be the issue.

op - no I agree I dont have all the facts.
That's what's confusing. Are we owed any facts? Or i guess we just have to accept that this is the deal and we wont really get answers...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:op - to answer some qs. I dont want to name the speaker here bc that would be identifying. I have looked into her profile - she is quite a progressive speaker on these issues. She DOES work for an org that believes Israel should exist, and has been to israel herself and written about being there during conflict so she does have some geo political background in this arena but has also spoken out publicly that having concern and sympathy for the palestinian people is absolutely not at odds with anti semitism. I'm sure there were pieces in there that some people perhaps didn't love (but hard to find a speaker on anti semitism whose job it is to do that but who does not believe in israel).

I know bc it has been widely discussed among parents and the principal has spoken about it 1:1 with some people but not addressed it on a larger level.

I obv dont have all the details which is why it's a complex and unsettling situation. I would like more details. I dont think names are necessary.

Why is it so complex and unsettling? People have the right to petition in a functioning democracy. And you don’t even know what, or even if they’re petitioning at this point. It seems premature to come on to this forum and cast suspicion or accusation on teachers who may have valid conscientious rationale for their beliefs, which it sounds like they may be addressing through appropriate channels.

i'm not naming names.
I'm saying I know it exists and it has not been shown to me and thus I am uncomfortable. they may well have rational reasons but having not seen it, am I just to accept that multiple of my child's teachers had an issue with a speaker on anti semitism but no issue with a speaker on islamophobia. of course they have the right to protest, no one is saying they don't. But I'm not sure I love paying $60k a year per kid for teachers who may not believe that prejudice against my child is something we should be teaching is wrong.

I’m quite confident they believe that prejudice against Jewish children, or any children, is wrong. Try to take a deep breath here. There are a lot of possible realities. Without knowing what their possible objections are, you seem to be jumping to conclusions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But why do you assume that they are petitioning against teaching about the topic of antisemitism and why it is wrong?

Couldn't there be a reason this particular speaker is problematic? The topic itself doesn't seem to be the issue.

op - no I agree I dont have all the facts.
That's what's confusing. Are we owed any facts? Or i guess we just have to accept that this is the deal and we wont really get answers...

I actually think you should absolutely share with the HOS or whomever seems appropriate that you find this unsettling and that without an understanding of the content of the petition, you are concerned that faculty members espouse antisemitic ideas. For now, you don't need to see the actual signatures, but the content of the complaint.

Do you have DEI coordinator or parent affinity groups? This is exactly why these roles are significant. They can help you voice your concerns to the school and make sure that you and your child don't feel isolated within the larger community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But why do you assume that they are petitioning against teaching about the topic of antisemitism and why it is wrong?

Couldn't there be a reason this particular speaker is problematic? The topic itself doesn't seem to be the issue.

op - no I agree I dont have all the facts.
That's what's confusing. Are we owed any facts? Or i guess we just have to accept that this is the deal and we wont really get answers...

I actually think you should absolutely share with the HOS or whomever seems appropriate that you find this unsettling and that without an understanding of the content of the petition, you are concerned that faculty members espouse antisemitic ideas. For now, you don't need to see the actual signatures, but the content of the complaint.

Do you have DEI coordinator or parent affinity groups? This is exactly why these roles are significant. They can help you voice your concerns to the school and make sure that you and your child don't feel isolated within the larger community.

op - there is a jewish parents group, but they have not received a response from the principal, who has also declined to come and speak with the group (new principal).
It's all v odd.
I think it's a microcosm of the similar situations we saw at harvard, penn etc. I'm sure very similar concerns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This would not be a school I’d be inclined to pay a lot of tuition for my kids to attend.

This

[Anonymous]

It's probably threat inflation. Saying that Palestinian people should be treated humanly caused folks to grasp their pearls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing to petition about teaching antisemitism. When was the last time you ever heard ANY faculty protesting any speaker at a private school in the DMV? I find this deeply disturbing and also find the posters above disturbing as well. It is the case positive of why there needs to be a speaker at all.

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing to petition about teaching antisemitism. When was the last time you ever heard ANY faculty protesting any speaker at a private school in the DMV? I find this deeply disturbing and also find the posters above disturbing as well. It is the case positive of why there needs to be a speaker at all.

Trigger warning: maybe they aren’t as concerned about Judaism itself as they are possible defense of or sympathy for a government that has killed 30k and wounded twice that number in the course of four months. It’ll make your head explode I’m sure but many people believe (many more now than before the start of the war) that Israel shouldn’t have the right to exist in its current incarnation if it continues to behave in this manner. Maybe said teachers have relatives in Gaza who are being bombed relentlessly. Or maybe they are just sentient beings who can see that Israel’s response to the horrors of 10/7 is unconscionable. Or maybe there was no petition at all and this is designed to stoke rage and resentment. To not see how Israel’s actions are breeding the precise anti-Semitism you denounce is the ultimate cognitive dissonance. May ALL their memories be blessings.

[Anonymous]

NP. As described, it would make me very uncomfortable as well, and I would reassess my relationship with the school. I am not Jewish, to be clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. As described, it would make me very uncomfortable as well, and I would reassess my relationship with the school. I am not Jewish, to be clear.

Okay. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Names aren't necessary for us, op. But have you seen the faculty petition? Have you seen their complaint?

sorry i meant WE dont need to see the names of the faculty but we DO want to see the petition. I'm not sure who has seen it or how we know it exists, but the administration is not denying it so assume someone did see it.

I am just going to take the OP at her word, why not? This is a web forum not Judge Judy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school recently had speakers come in to talk to the kids about Islamophobia and anti semitism. It has come to some of the parents attn at our school that a number of the faculty created a petition to protest the anti semitism speaker. We have no real context and information about it, but as a jewish parent it makes me SUPER uncomfortable and especially bc the school has not addressed it and we are all in the dark as to what the issue was and why. The speaker has no pro israel agenda, and very similar talking points to the islamophobia speaker.
Do I just let this go? wwyd?

I would have someone contact the new media or post something on Twitter. This should be brought to light.