The Beverly Hills Unified College District’s Board of Training will vote Tuesday evening on a proposal to show the Israeli flag on all campuses and district services to acknowledge Jewish Heritage Month in Could.
The proposal is a part of a decision to fight antisemitism that additionally requires educating college students about Jewish historical past and commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah), Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Oct. 7 as a Day of Remembrance of the 2023 Hamas-led assaults on Israel.
The decision has sparked debate over whether or not it’s applicable to dedicate this a lot time and sources to recognizing a particular ethnic and spiritual group in a public faculty setting.
It has additionally raised issues that displaying the Israeli flag doesn’t merely sign assist for the Jewish individuals but additionally represents assist for the Israeli authorities and its actions in Gaza, the place greater than half one million individuals live in famine amid the continuing conflict.
“This proposal conflates Jewish religion and id with the political actions of a overseas authorities and undermines the inclusive and respectful setting that public faculties are supposed to foster for all college students, no matter their background,” mentioned Hussam Ayloush, government director of CAIR-LA in an announcement. “It’s deeply insensitive and distressing to Palestinian college students who’ve misplaced numerous relations to Israel’s violent army marketing campaign and the man-made humanitarian disaster in Gaza.”
All 5 members of the BHUSD Board of Training expressed their assist for the decision throughout an Aug. 5 assembly however determined to revise a few of its wording earlier than bringing it again for a vote this week.
Particularly, they modified phrasing saying that the aim of displaying the Israeli flag is to indicate assist for the Jewish state to saying the aim is to indicate assist for the Jewish neighborhood.
Through the Aug. 5 assembly, public speaker Daniel Lifschitz mentioned he supported the spirit of a decision to fight antisemitism. Nevertheless, he raised a number of issues round its language, particularly the way it utterly eliminates “any distinction between anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiment.”
Board member Russell Stuart mentioned throughout the assembly that folks have completely different opinions about whether or not it’s potential to be towards the nation of Israel with out being towards the Jewish individuals, however he emphasised that the aim of the decision is to make Jewish college students really feel supported.
“In the long run our job is to not remedy geopolitics,” he mentioned. Our job is to ensure that our college students in our faculty district come to highschool and really feel protected.”
Andrea Grossman, who attended BHUSD faculties and despatched her three kids to colleges within the district, mentioned she learn the decision with concern and dismay.
“Beverly Hills is a public faculty district in a various metropolis with multiple faith with multiple ethnic group,” Grossman mentioned. “Your decision can be applicable in a Jewish day faculty, in a non-public faculty, not funded by taxpayer {dollars}.”
One other public commenter mentioned it’s unfair to focus so closely on the atrocities confronted by the Jewish individuals and never present the identical recognition to different persecuted teams like Armenians, Uyghurs, and Black individuals in the USA.
Grossman additionally expressed fears concerning the backlash the decision would generate. “It’s my agency perception that this decision will ignite reasonably than discourage antisemitism,” she mentioned.
Tal Lavi, however, got here out in robust assist of the proposal, saying that as an Israeli American he particularly selected BHUSD as a result of he felt that the district is a spot the place his three sons may really feel protected to be Jewish.
“Since Oct. 7, there was an enormous increase in antisemitism,” he mentioned. “I really feel this decision could be very a lot wanted with the intention to create that protected setting.”
The Anti-Defamation League reported 9,354 antisemitic incidents throughout the USA in 2024 — a 344% enhance during the last 5 years and the best quantity for the reason that group began monitoring incidents in 1979. L.A. County noticed a 91% enhance in anti-Jewish hate crimes from 2022 to 2023, the newest yr for which information can be found.
Board members emphasised the significance of passing this decision towards this backdrop of hate.
“This decision affirms a dedication to educating about Jewish historical past, precisely remembering the tragedies the Jewish individuals have endured, and standing publicly towards the rising darkness of antisemitism,” mentioned board member Sigalie Sabag, “which make no mistake has reached a crucial tipping level.”
A spokesperson for the district mentioned in an announcement that ought to the decision cross the Israeli flags wouldn’t be mounted on a flag pole, however reasonably be displayed in several places round campuses.
