True, it doesn’t sound terribly sexy, but the answer to Hit A Jew Day is about fundamentals. It is shocking that a 6th grader would actually hit a fellow student for a personal characteristic that may go to one’s deepest identity. Anti-bias education is mandated. It’s not going to be an overnight fix. The process will take some time.
ADL has presented Parkway West with No Place For Hate®, an anti-bias campaign that encourages different education activities to teach acceptance and respect and build community. I know the title makes us uncomfortable, but we have to accept that hate and bias happen daily, and we can’t talk circles around it, we have to address it head-on. I believe the school and the district are responding appropriately. We look forward to working with them, and all program providers, in the coming year.
The kids involved are not hateful; they need to learn the impact of their behavior. Parkway West may also have a situation where one or more were badly bullied and then became perpetrators themselves. We would hope that this is isolated to a unique event that will not repeat itself. But it has, and it will.
This episode occurred among unique circumstances. Anti-Semitic behavior against Orthodox families in University City, who were very visible over the High Holidays, increased. They were shouted at by drivers while walking to and from shul, and I’m certain not all incidents were reported. The city is also investigating a hate crime after 2 families were assaulted with eggs thrown by a passing driver. A remarkable case will soon be before the Missouri Court of Appeals, involving some members of a St. Louis County jury whose alleged anti-Semitism may have affected the verdict against the defendant, a Jewish doctor.
As we say, anti-Semitism is not history. It’s a current event.
Karen J. Aroesty
Regional Director - Missouri/Southern Illinois
ADL - Anti-Defamation League - http://www.adl.org/
314.432.6868 (v) / karoesty@adl.org
No comments:
Post a Comment