Blog Posts

Fellow CBJ Parents,

I am writing to welcome (and urge) you all to kindly participate in an upcoming three-part educational series sponsored by CBJ on the rise of antisemitism in this country, internationally, and in our K-12 schools and college campuses. The threat is multifaceted and exists across the political spectrum, so no matter where you find yourselves leaning these days, being Jewish seems to bring its own unique challenges.  

 All three parts of the series will be tightly connected, and at least from my perspective, critically important for us all to attend.  I’m writing today, though, to call specific attention to the 3^rd event, “Antisemitism in our Schools – It's Real and We Need to Act”, scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, March 15^th.

For many years after World War II, students were regularly taught about the horrors of the Holocaust and the genocide which sought to eliminate Jewish people from the European continent.   "Never again" was a reminder not only of the atrocities that took place, but also a stark warning to prevent such hatred from ever again taking root.    Yet, more than 70 years later, the critical lessons of the Holocaust are no longer ones that we can count on our children learning.    

Meanwhile, just a couple weeks ago, the 10 members of a school board in Tennessee voted unanimously to ban the reading Maus, by Art Spiegelman, in their 8th grade curriculum, citing the books “unnecessary use of profanity and nudity” and it’s “depiction of violence”.   (As if the Holocaust should be taught in way that sweeps the violence committed against Jews under the rug?)  For anyone unfamiliar with Maus, the book is based on the Holocaust experiences of the author's parents, including their detention in Auschwitz, and was the first graphic novel ever awarded a Pulitzer Prize. 

However, rather than seek ways to improve our historical understanding of the Holocaust and combat antisemitism, the State of California has been actively laying a foundation that many worry will do just the opposite.    After a long controversy and thousands of public comments, our governor signed off on a bill in 2021 that will require every high school student to pass at least one course in ethnic studies as a graduation requirement.  The last version was celebrated by many Jewish groups for including a lesson on American Jews and removing certain, earlier elements that were flagged as blatantly antisemitic.  Yet, other members of our community continue to oppose even the final, approved draft, as they claim the guidance given to local schools still allows too much discretion in how the Jewish story is handled in the curriculum.   

We are privileged to have Elina Kaplan, President of Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies (ACES), join us on March 15^th to share more about these curriculum changes, their implications for growing antisemitism, and what we can do to mitigate their impact.    I eagerly look forward to a thoughtful discussion and hope you choose to join us!

Diana Blum, CBJ Religious School Parent