Ugh. My kid was identified as one of the Jews for kids to interview

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my DD was in elementary school, one morning on the courtyard with everyone (students, staff, and parents) a girl came running across to DD and SCREAMED, "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE **JEWISH**!?!?!"

EVERYONE looked over horrified. DD nodded and smiled, and the girl threw her arms around DD and yelled, "ME TOO! SHALOM!" She was just really excited to have discovered another jewish person.

Hopefully that will be more the reaction your DD gets. And not kids asking why she isn't ________.

Cute story! OP here. It's 4th grade.

The situation I describe, as I said, would be no big deal in a different political climate at a diverse school, that wasn't internationally diverse. We have kids from countries where Jews cannot enter. I want our daughter to be able to be friends with these kids. I know religion comes out in conversation, but it's different than being the representative Jew. The goal is to increase understanding of course and love for eachother. The concern is some of these kids were raised to have animosity toward Jews the same way too many people are being brainwashed into hating Muslims. Let the kids mingle and form friendships, but I guess it makes me very uncomfortable to make too big a deal about religion. "Come see the Jew." Now, "Come ask the Muslim some questions." "Over here, we have a Hindu for you!"

But maybe meeting a nice Jewish little girl and seeing her as a person will help those kids who are raised differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the countries to which Jews aren't allowed to travel? I'm Jewish but it doesn't say so on my passport, so I didn't know there were countries I couldn't go.

I think you're making too big a deal. I don't see the problem with kids asking each other about their holiday traditions. Has anyone said anything negative to your daughter?

I believe Jews are not allowed to enter any Arab countries. Perhaps Jordan is an exception? Technically as long as you don't have "Israel" on your passport, you could probably enter as long as you don't identify yourself as Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my DD was in elementary school, one morning on the courtyard with everyone (students, staff, and parents) a girl came running across to DD and SCREAMED, "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE **JEWISH**!?!?!"

EVERYONE looked over horrified. DD nodded and smiled, and the girl threw her arms around DD and yelled, "ME TOO! SHALOM!" She was just really excited to have discovered another jewish person.

Hopefully that will be more the reaction your DD gets. And not kids asking why she isn't ________.

Cute story! OP here. It's 4th grade.

The situation I describe, as I said, would be no big deal in a different political climate at a diverse school, that wasn't internationally diverse. We have kids from countries where Jews cannot enter. I want our daughter to be able to be friends with these kids. I know religion comes out in conversation, but it's different than being the representative Jew. The goal is to increase understanding of course and love for eachother. The concern is some of these kids were raised to have animosity toward Jews the same way too many people are being brainwashed into hating Muslims. Let the kids mingle and form friendships, but I guess it makes me very uncomfortable to make too big a deal about religion. "Come see the Jew." Now, "Come ask the Muslim some questions." "Over here, we have a Hindu for you!"

Can you reach out to the teacher and offer to volunteer? I bet it would be helpful if like, the Hindu kid said three things about her religion/culture and your DD said three about hers, but then they had to find three things they AGREE on. Like "we both love purple, we both hate tuna fish, and we both agree that we want Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez to get married." If the kids are guided towards finding similarities DESPITE their differences, that may bridge gaps brought from home countries. My mom once invited Christian friends for a Passover seder, and after one of them said something about dyeing eggs for Easter my mom wrapped up the eggs from the seder plate for her to take home and dye for Easter. So there are similarities everywhere if you look for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W[b]hat are the countries to which Jews aren't allowed to travel? [/b]I'm Jewish but it doesn't say so on my passport, so I didn't know there were countries I couldn't go.

I think you're making too big a deal. I don't see the problem with kids asking each other about their holiday traditions. Has anyone said anything negative to your daughter?

I believe Jews are not allowed to enter any Arab countries. Perhaps Jordan is an exception? Technically as long as you don't have "Israel" on your passport, you could probably enter as long as you don't identify yourself as Jewish.

Jews can travel anywhere. People with Israeli passports are denied admission to some countries. Google it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids learn to deal with these things. There was a girl in my son's class in elementary school who gave a nice little presentation about Hanukkah to the class and handed out little dreidels to all the kids and taught them how to play with them.

About a month later, another girl in the class started telling the other girls in the class not to play with the girl because she didn't celebrate Christmas. This was the class mean girl, cute and popular. I was so proud of these kids when I heard that the kids stood up to the popular mean girl and kept on playing with the Jewish girl.

The funny thing was, the mean girl was from an immigrant family and wasn't even Christian, so I don't know why she cared that the other girl didn't celebrate Christmas.

I just wanted to add that this was more than ten years ago, so current political climate doesn't really make that much of a difference. Some kids will focus on differences, some kids won't even notice. There are always people who don't like anyone who is different from them- that's why we try to teach our kids not to listen to them and to be kind to everyone they meet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my DD was in elementary school, one morning on the courtyard with everyone (students, staff, and parents) a girl came running across to DD and SCREAMED, "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE **JEWISH**!?!?!"

EVERYONE looked over horrified. DD nodded and smiled, and the girl threw her arms around DD and yelled, "ME TOO! SHALOM!" She was just really excited to have discovered another jewish person.

Hopefully that will be more the reaction your DD gets. And not kids asking why she isn't ________.

Cute story! OP here. It's 4th grade.

The situation I describe, as I said, would be no big deal in a different political climate at a diverse school, that wasn't internationally diverse. We have kids from countries where Jews cannot enter. I want our daughter to be able to be friends with these kids. I know religion comes out in conversation, but it's different than being the representative Jew. The goal is to increase understanding of course and love for eachother. The concern is some of these kids were raised to have animosity toward Jews the same way too many people are being brainwashed into hating Muslims. Let the kids mingle and form friendships, but I guess it makes me very uncomfortable to make too big a deal about religion. "Come see the Jew." Now, "Come ask the Muslim some questions." "Over here, we have a Hindu for you!"

You are seriously overthinking this. Kids don't know or care what countries others can go to. If it was middle or high school, ok but seriously, they are sharing their customs and culture.

The kids are here for 2-3 years. They were already schooled and partly raised in a country where sometimes the textbooks have a bias making Jews the villains. That is much different that an assimilated family where the grandparents were raised in a country where Jews aren't allowed. Yes, a couintry's national beliefs do not tell what you an individual thinks, but you are reacting as though the kids were born and raised in the US and bever exposed to anti-semetic beliefs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I totally get the purpose of having kids interview eachother about religion to foster understanding. However, we are at a public school with many international kids (World Bank and Military) and a high number from countries where Jews are not allowed to travel. My daughter likes these kids and we want her to have friendships with all. She is not a very socially successful kid and she wants to be liked. She is fine with being interviewed about being Jewish and we are not going to say anything. It's just in this political climate I feel discomfort with identifying my kid as the Jew, another kid as the Muslim and so forth. Plus, my daughter says thanks to this project, a child from Africa and a child who is African American have already been questioned about why they don't celebrate Kwanza.

Before you berate me for over-reacting, I am simply sharing my internal discomfort. I have said nothing to the school or my child. We don't agree with Trump's decisions in Israel at this time and there is already tremendous unrest and animosity toward Jews and Muslims in particular. Maybe let the family decide if they want their kid singled out as the representative of their religion.

The countries don't ban Jews, they ban Israelis. Who are Jews. You can travel and live in there is you are a Jew, although they vary in terms of how pleasant/unpleasant it is.

--Jew who has lived in two of the "ban" countries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W[b]hat are the countries to which Jews aren't allowed to travel? [/b]I'm Jewish but it doesn't say so on my passport, so I didn't know there were countries I couldn't go.

I think you're making too big a deal. I don't see the problem with kids asking each other about their holiday traditions. Has anyone said anything negative to your daughter?

I believe Jews are not allowed to enter any Arab countries. Perhaps Jordan is an exception? Technically as long as you don't have "Israel" on your passport, you could probably enter as long as you don't identify yourself as Jewish.

Jews can travel anywhere. People with Israeli passports are denied admission to some countries. Google it.

And with Israeli stamps. DH travels on a diplomatic passport and has two passports so that he can travel to Israel and still be able to go into the middle east too.

[Anonymous]

I’m afraid OP is a troll. Jews can travel to Arab countries. Jews can work in most Arab countries. We can’t go to Mecca but I’m not sure non Muslims can, period. I’ve been to multiple Arab countries and lived in one. It is best to not get your passport stamped if you go to Israel, but otherwise I am free to travel.
There are restrictions on Israelis but that’s for nationality (which yes, in this case happens to generally overlap with religion).

[Anonymous]

IMO what schools should be emphasizing right now is we want each and every child to know that you are are welcome here. Every religion has value and every person has value. Every religion values kindness. I would not do any activity that singles kids out even if the purpose is love and understanding. It could backfire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m afraid OP is a troll. Jews can travel to Arab countries. Jews can work in most Arab countries. We can’t go to Mecca but I’m not sure non Muslims can, period. I’ve been to multiple Arab countries and lived in one. It is best to not get your passport stamped if you go to Israel, but otherwise I am free to travel.
There are restrictions on Israelis but that’s for nationality (which yes, in this case happens to generally overlap with religion).

Jews have been banned from travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (though IIUC they look the other way for folks in the US military, etc)

Anyone with an Israeli visa stamp on their passport is excluded from MOST other Arab countries (and Iran, and a few others, I think?) Israel puts removal adhesive Visa stamps on passports to help me get around that, IIUC. So its not only Israeli nationals. Jordan and Egypt however welcome visitors from Israel, and I think Morocco and Tunisia have softened.

[Anonymous]

The kids are here for 2-3 years. They were already schooled and partly raised in a country where sometimes the textbooks have a bias making Jews the villains. That is much different that an assimilated family where the grandparents were raised in a country where Jews aren't allowed. Yes, a couintry's national beliefs do not tell what you an individual thinks, but you are reacting as though the kids were born and raised in the US and bever exposed to anti-semetic beliefs.

Is this a public school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m afraid OP is a troll. Jews can travel to Arab countries. Jews can work in most Arab countries. We can’t go to Mecca but I’m not sure non Muslims can, period. I’ve been to multiple Arab countries and lived in one. It is best to not get your passport stamped if you go to Israel, but otherwise I am free to travel.
There are restrictions on Israelis but that’s for nationality (which yes, in this case happens to generally overlap with religion).

Do you have Israel on you passport? If so, can you still travel there without a diplomatic passport?

Could you practice your faith there? Were you open about your religion?

[Anonymous]

Is this Janney? Because it sounds like something that a Janney teacher would assign. Whwen my biracial kid was in k at Janney, during February AA awareness month or whatever it's called, my kid was askrd to color in a picture of MLK. He used a beige crayon. (I was vivsiting that day, btw, so saw the whole thing.) The teacher turned to him during the exercise and said "don't you think you should use a darker brown crayon, Larlo?" I was shocked but then he got a dark brown crayon and colored it in. Thankfully that teacher who had been there almost 30 years retired a couple of years later.

Microagression. It's a thing.I think what's happening in OP school is a dog whistle microaggression too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
But maybe meeting a nice Jewish little girl and seeing her as a person will help those kids who are raised differently?

mebbe. DCUM is divided on "using the kid to do social engineering" Personally I would much rather send my kid to a school full of kids with lower test scores, where her presence might help the academic achievement of poor kids, then send them to a school where she is the poster Jew.