Next week, children are heading back to school. Sadly, we are unsure what this coming school year may bring for Jewish students of all ages.

At the Jewish Federation, we are working to make schools a place where Jews can be proud of who we are. We are working with school boards, superintendents, teachers, universities, and unions to help them understand antisemitism and how anti-Israel sentiments can impact Jewish students, teachers, parents, and employees. We have also mobilized a parent advocacy group to be the “eyes and ears” for the Jewish community so we understand what is happening in the schools.

Unfortunately, we continue to have our concerns about the Portland Association of Teachers. A non-Jewish union member sent me a copy of their summer newsletter. In it, they shared a report from the Social Justice and Community Outreach Committee. Here is an abbreviated version (I bolded some comments that I thought were of interest and added some personal commentary):

To our PAT comrades –

We write directly to you to update you on some of the actions we as the Social Justice and Community Outreach committee have taken this year regarding the war in Palestine, especially in response to the recent decision by the Executive Board to censor materials related to the Know Your Rights training back in May...

To our Jewish colleagues and community members: You have a right to safety and we hear the palatable fear that antisemitism would go unchecked. We hear you that there are phrases and symbols people are using that put you at great discomfort. We also hear you that there are multiple points of view within the Jewish community, and that groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace are pro-Palestine. (MB – There are differing views. However, does the committee really care about Jewish colleagues or are they using JVP as cover for their anti-Israel messaging?)

To our Palestinian colleagues and community members: You have a right to safety and we hear the palatable fear that Palestinians in Gaza will be under attack until they are eliminated. (MB – This is an ugly and egregious statement!) We hear how isolated and afraid you felt during this school year, with virtually no one checking in on you within PPS spaces (and not enough PAT spaces), to make sure that you were okay, although “okay” is hard to define in these times.

Having our finger on the pulse of membership has been challenging. Dialogue with folx at committee meetings, the event centering Palestinians in March, and the two (!) emails we received from members have been the only direct communication we have had regarding Palestine in the last 6 months. This is in stark contrast to the deluge of emails to President Angela Bonilla and Vice President Jacque Dixon, two women of color, much of which was threatening, vitriolic, and harmful. We have been *perplexed* by this, as we imagine that concerns about SJCO materials would be directed to the chairs whose contact information has been readily available. We call on all members to examine what it means to participate in racist and anti-Black communication with leadership and any Black, Indigenous, Person of Color in the union or workplace. (MB – Thank you for those who wrote the union leader previously. We received copies of most of the letters and did not see any with racial overtones.)

With the established norms of our committee to guide our work, we have a duty to support causes that will not always be popular or comfortable to discuss and to elevate those situations to public consciousness. SJCO maintains that our committee is rooted in justice and liberation, and that Palestinians are in desperate need of both. To that end, we stand by the Know Your Rights event and document and to having resources available to members to use in their teaching capacity. We believe this position is not in opposition to a stance that supports the rights of Jewish students and PPS workers and the community to be free of hate speech and actions. And yet, we also recognize that there are differences of opinion of what constitutes antisemitism. (MB – Is the PAT going to define antisemitism for Jewish students and families?)

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the creation, publication, and removal of various documents, including the Know Your Rights document and two separate educator resources. We have written a letter to the Executive board detailing all of these processes and urge them to restore some of these materials and create new materials to supplement those they have removed and would not approve for a second time. (MB – The PAT should not bring back these one-sided, biased materials.)

We invite you to reach out to SJCO chairs (Zac and Julie) with any questions, concerns, or ideas for the future.

Since they are asking for correspondence, please send them an email sharing your thoughts about their comments and their desire to bring back this curriculum.

In addition, we are deeply concerned about our college campuses. It seems inevitable that hate and harassment directed towards supporters of Israel and towards Jewish students in general will emerge again on unless administrations commit to resetting their campus cultures in ways that finally prioritize the safety and security of their Jewish communities.

Hillel International, Jewish Federations of North America, the ADL, American Jewish Committee, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and a dozen more partners have come together to support Jewish students and faculty on campus. Here is a comprehensive list of recommendations for university presidents designed to prevent a hostile environment that violates Jewish students' civil rights and capacity to speak, listen, research, and learn on an equal basis with their peers.

We need the leaders on every campus to:

• Clearly Communicate Campus Rules, Standards and Policies: Make clear to students what it means to be a member of the campus community, and ensure students, faculty and staff are aware of school policies on protests and demonstrations.

• Support Jewish Students: Prevent discrimination, unequivocally denounce antisemitism, ensure inclusivity, and provide antisemitism education and training.

• Ensure Campus Safety: Enforce university codes of conduct, maintain clear reporting avenues for antisemitic incidents, ensure campus staff are trained to address violations to campus rules, and reaffirm rejection of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

• Reaffirm Faculty Responsibilities: Ensure academic freedom and a non-discriminatory learning environment in the classroom. Communicate and enforce policies regarding faculty who threaten to withhold students’ grades or cancel mandatory classes.

Many of our state universities do not begin until late September. Our Oregon Hillel, Greater Portland Hillel, and the Jewish Federation are in communication with university leaders at each of the campuses. Just this week, representatives from our JCRC, Portland Hillel, and PSU Judaic Studies had a constructive meeting with Portland State University President Ann Cudd. We will be watching closely.

Here are two excellent New York Times editorials from earlier this week that provide additional context about challenges on campus – an editorial by David French and an editorial from Bret Stephens.

Let me end with some positive news. This week, over 90 early childhood educators from six area Jewish preschools came together for a day of learning and community building. The educators had a variety of sessions, including: supporting neurodivergence in the classroom and workplace, teaching Hebrew through games, and how to enrich the learning environment for children and parents. They are ready for a very positive school year.

To ALL students and teachers -- Be yourself! Be proud of who you are! Be proud of the Jewish people! And have a wonderful school year!

Shabbat shalom.