Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 2, 2019

(November 27, 2019 / JNS) For many of the attendees at last weeks Never Is Now conference in New York sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, the global and geopolitical impacts of the uptick in anti-Semitism were front and center of the discussions.

And for a significant number, the concern was also about anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on college campuses, as well as its creep into the middle- and high school spheresa fact that was acknowledged by the presence of 300 high school students who attended the conference.

As Jonathan Greenblatt, ADLs CEO and national director, noted in his opening remarks, troubling reports have included high-schoolers who think its amusing to sling Heil Hitler salutes at one another.

In 2018, the ADL recorded 344 incidents of anti-Semitism at kindergarten through 12th grade non-Jewish schools. Among this years reported incidents were swastikas at schools in Connecticut, California and a number of other states; a Kill the Jews page on social media created by middle-school students in Massachusetts; and a threatening note left on the desk of the daughter of Las Vegas rabbi.

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High school students were a significant part of the audience in two morning panels: Anti-Israel vs. Anti-Semitism: An Interactive Workshop Examining Their Distinctions and Where They Overlap, which highlighted various scenarios and asked participants to vote via an app on their feelings of whether the act was anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist, both or neither; and Voices From Campus: Exploring Anti-Semitism and Its Impact on College University Communities.

For high school senior Thomas Bocian, 17, attending the ADL program was important as a Jew, a student leader and as someone who is currently applying to colleges.

The level of awareness about anti-Semitism is a lot lower than it should be, and to be able to come here and learn how to handle these situations is very important for me as a student leader, said Bocian, who attended the conference on behalf of his high school, Princeton Day School, a private school in New Jersey. He added that he is proud of his heritage and religion, and has already ruled out attending at least one top-tier college because he was disappointed by the way the administration handled an incident regarding the BDS movement.

Bocian, who spoke to JNS as he was getting ready to enter the Voices From Campus panel, was accompanied by teacher David Freedholm and guidance counselor Alex Portale, who were there to gain tips for an upcoming school workshop on anti-Semitism.

Audience at the general session of the Anti-Defamation Leagues Never Is Now conference in New York, November 2019. Source: Facebook.

Judaic-studies teacher Yael Weil brought a group of 10 seniors from the Maayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, N.J., to offer them a sense of what to expect when they go on to college and beyond.

I think its an important issue that kids are aware of, she said. Our group of seniors will be graduating and going outside of their bubble, and need to see whats out there and how to deal with it. They are seeing how the larger Jewish community outside of the Orthodox community is addressing the issue.

Attendees at the conference included people of different races and faith. Several speakers noted that if the Jewish community is to succeed in battling anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, it will need support from other groups and people who willing to denounce hate in all its forms.

Anti-Semitism is often sidelined

Perhaps in an odd bit of irony, however, some public discussions centered on diversity in books and media tend to exclude Jewish groups from minority concerns.

That may be why several people interviewed at the conference suggested that anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism arent acknowledged in the discussions on hate and racism going on at high school and middle-school campuses. One educator even suggested that she was glad that she came with students so they could understand what anti-Semitism is and why its so dangerous.

That doesnt surprise Miriam F. Elman, executive director of the Academic Engagement Network, who has researched anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on campus, though was not at the conference.

In an interview with JNS several days later, she said, I have found that anti-Semitism is often sidelined in discussions of diversity, equity, tolerance and inclusion. In such discussions, the emphasis is typically on racism.

She continued, saying when anti-Semitism is included in these conversations, the tendency tends to be on hatred coming from far-right white supremacy. As you know, left[-leaning] anti-Semitism typically gets a pass because the people engaging in it are often minority groups and individuals who are themselves championing social justice and anti-racism platforms. The connection between anti-Israel expression, anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism is not addressed in these venues.

See the original post here:
At ADL conference, a focus on schools, reactions by students and teachers to anti-Semitism - JNS.org

Category: Anti-Defamation League
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