Dear [INSERT SUPERINTENDENT’S NAME],
I have read your statement to the community regarding the events of this weekend and have some concerns about it.
The letter, as you are obviously aware, shockingly never mentions Israel or Jews. In its attempt to cautiously choose the “right” words to not offend anyone, it lacks the moral clarity that our community needs to hear from our leaders.
[INSERT SCHOOL’S NAME if the following statement is true] has provided specific statements for other communities in recent years who have been under attack. Surely, a massacre of 1200 and rising children ripped from their families, women raped, and babies decapitated demands a strong statement in support of Israel and the larger Jewish community that is reeling in pain and fear. Surely, when pro-Hamas groups rally across this country and the world chanting “gas the Jews” while carrying swastikas and the Hamas leadership threatens to murder Jews worldwide, [INSERT SCHOOL’S NAME] can summon the moral courage to issue a statement that at the very least expresses solidarity with the local Jewish community.
In the coming days and weeks, as Israel defends itself from those who wish to destroy her, teachers will bring resources into the classroom. It is imperative that [INSERT SCHOOL’S NAME] leadership provide direction that all resources comply with [INSERT SCHOOL’S NAME] regulations on controversial issues and teacher impartiality and go through the required approval process. The IHRA definition, approved by the [INCLUDE STATE AND/OR LOCALITY NAME IF IT HAS BEEN APPROVED] and used by the Office of Civil Rights, should guide resource selection. I can provide factually accurate resources on the history of the conflict.
School districts have a responsibility to keep all children safe, but especially in a time of dangerous Jew-hatred, they must examine the rhetoric of oppression and colonialism used to teach and define all historical and social problems. This is the same rhetoric used by Hamas to justify the murder of Jews.
There should be no moral equivocation or vague statements about the deadliest pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust. As the leader of [INSERT SCHOOL’S NAME], we expect you to understand that student emotional well-being is directly tied to your ability to provide moral clarity.
Sincerely,
[INSERT YOUR NAME]