Starting this week, parents across Los Angeles are sending their children back to school. Let’s be honest. For some, it’s a blessing – having kids at home all summer sounds nice at first, but it is exhausting. On the other hand, after last year, when many Jewish families faced dizzying antisemitism and Jewish isolation, we’re not entirely sure what this coming school year will bring. I hear you. I’ve been there.
When I was a teenager, our family suffered significant antisemitism. Our house was attacked by white supremacists. Waking in the middle of the night, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself as a Jewish youngster in a seemingly dangerous place. Luckily, my parents told me, “If you don’t go, they win. They want to scare us; don’t let them. Be proud. Be yourself. Go back to school.” I live by that adage every day.
Be proud. Be yourself.
At the Federation, we are working every day to make California schools a place where Jews can be proud of who we are. We are working with school boards, superintendents, teachers, and unions to fight antisemitism while embracing the ethnic studies curriculum. We launched an ethnic studies website for educators to learn about this space, including Jewish-specific ethnic studies offerings. The site is sponsored by many of our civic partners in the African American, AAPI, Latino, and LGBTQIA+ communities. I’m proud that Debby Berman works for JFEDLA and is spearheading this effort. Debby is one of only two full-time professionals dedicated to ethnic studies in the Jewish world.
Speaking of curriculum, we worked with the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and others in Sacramento to ensure that Holocaust education is mandatory. We also supported the Governor’s commission to study the issue and implement new curriculum. Several of our Federation leaders sit on that commission.
This past year, we took an unprecedented number of schoolteachers, administrators, and superintendents (some of whom are alums of our Holy Land Democracy Project) to Israel as part of our 2024 Educators Cohort to see our work firsthand and to learn the context that is vital for teaching Israel in the classroom.
Lastly, we work to mobilize Jewish pride among many parent groups in independent private schools to be a voice for the Jewish community and for Israel, many of whom joined us in Sacramento at our recent meeting and lobbying day with the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California.
One thing that makes Jewish life unique is that we value students and learning in all we do. While other cultures might valorize the king, the warrior, or the CEO, ours is a culture that gives the greatest honor and respect to teachers and students. In our tradition, we say prayers before and after we learn. Jewish law permits us to turn prayer spaces into study halls, but not the other way around (Talmud Megilla 27a). According to the Talmud, if someone wants to establish a noisy business in your neighborhood, you can stop them unless the noise is that of children learning (Talmud Baba Batra 21b).
Welcome back, students. Be yourself. Be proud of your people.
Am Yisrael Chai,
R’ Noah
