Last week, California’s Hayward Unified School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a new $40 million ethnic studies policy. In its press release, the district noted, “The policy and efforts to develop an Ethnic Studies framework are informed by and will include Critical Race Theory and the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.” This is exactly what the Jewish community feared and fought tirelessly for nearly two years to prevent, as the state wrote, and rewrote, its Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. Now, however, the Jewish community finds itself back at square one.
A little background is in order.
During the summer of 2019, California’s State Board of Education released a proposed ethnic studies curriculum, intended to be used in all California public high schools, that was blatantly anti-Semitic. It omitted information on American Jews and anti-Semitism, used classic anti-Semitic stereotypes and tropes, and was blatantly anti-Zionist.
And the reaction was fierce. Twenty-thousand Californians, all 16 members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and dozens of organizations, including the Jewish Community Relations Council, Anti-Defamation League, Simon Wiesenthal Center, StandWithUs, American Jewish Committee and Israeli-American Council, raised serious alarms over the proposed curriculum. The Jewish Caucus stated the curriculum would “marginalize Jewish students and fuel hatred and discrimination against the Jewish community,” and Governor Gavin Newsom promised the original curriculum “would never see the light of day.”
The State Board of Education went back to the drawing board and, a year and a half and numerous revisions later, a fourth iteration that included lessons on Jewish Americans and eliminated overt anti-Semitic content was approved by the board. However, there was still one very big problem – individual school districts are autonomous and can use any ethnic studies curriculum they choose, including the original rejected version. And for the last two years the original dethroned drafters have been hard at work lobbying individual school districts to do just that.
Which brings us back to the present. The “Liberated” curriculum adopted by Hayward is the brainchild of the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Institute, a for-profit educational consulting firm established by the authors of the rejected first-draft of the institute as a lucrative means of peddling a version of their rejected draft — including its anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist lessons — in school districts throughout the state. The anti-Zionist tenets of the “Liberated” curriculum were on display at a May 26 ethnic studies teacher training workshop for Hayward teachers, where they learned, “In Palestine…the people who are seeking to maintain systems of oppression and racial domination are sharing ideologies, strategies and weapons. For example, police strategies have been transnationalized, with the US and Israeli police departments exchanging tactics… Let’s continue to share ideas and resources and hold brave conversations [in classrooms]…We continue to see the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians due to settler colonialism.”
Although Hayward may be the first school district to publicly commit to adopting and implementing the anti-Semitic “Liberated” curriculum, other school districts in California may not be far behind….
The above comes from a July 1 article published by the Jewish News Syndicate.
Anti-Semitism is all over the United States brought to you by the Democrat party, Iihan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, AOC, Ayanna Pressley with her bald head, Pelosi is scared to death and say a thing and shame on Chuck Shumer a Jew himself self hating that is.
Courtesy of the blm movement , see how they have attacked Jews in the street and Synagogues as part of their “protest”.
Voucher Schools = Freedom.
I visited Londonderry/Derry In Northern Ireland in January of last year. I was surprised to see all of the pro-Palestine murals painted in several prominent outdoor spaces and businesses. Many of the Irish Nationalists who live there-who are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic-feel a special solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The feeling isn’t reciprocated, useful idiots come from all over
I do not believe these liberal leftist programs should even exist! Instead, I believe the schools should just teach academic subjects straightforwardly, with no political biases, and inculcate respect and love of country, too— patriotism. Instead of anti-racism programs, schools should teach Christian values of kindness, respect, and brotherly love for all, and the “Golden Rule”– and good manners and morals– and expect children to learn to live rightly and responsibly. Bullying should be strictly prohibited. Homeschooling with a good Catholic group– or a very good Catholic school– is the best. All the liberal leftist garbage should be prohibited.
We’d be a better country without Democrats.
Anon #? said: ” I believe the schools should just teach academic subjects straightforwardly, with no political biases, and inculcate respect and love of country,” I agree, strongly. History has always been an academic subject, but it was always taught with a bias. The standard textbooks are written “by the victors” as they use to say. I taught Jr. and Senior High School History. None of the textbooks mentioned the Omaha massacre, few mentioned the Japanese Internment, there was only passing mention of the Klan, little about Catholic hatred, the horrors of slavery, and many other subjects. The school boards didn’t want that side of our country taught to kids. But, that history is available to everyone today because of the internet and people are asking why.
So that justifies Hamas sending rockets and balloon bombs from Gaza and the West Bank into Israel?
Bob One, I recall traveling with my mother, when young, and noting the “mistakes” of different countries, considered very great– during different historical eras. And wondering aloud, how great historical figures could do many great things– yet also, do some terribly wrong things? My mother taught me that there are various leaders who have committed some terrible errors in all countries, throughout history, and that is very common and normal. All countries have a history of a great peoples, who have all had many struggles and triumphs, which overall, is a wonderful and fascinating historical development, ongoing. America, by contrast, is only a very young country, with a very great peoples too, and many struggles and triumphs. None of my neighbors who have immigrated here from foreign countries, ever puts down their vast and beautiful heritage. Instead, they all cherish their native lands and cultures, with all the struggles, mistakes, and triumphs, all through hundreds– or even thousands– of years of history. And they deeply love and cherish their new– and very great– country, America, most of all.
I don’t know what the Omaha massacre was. Are you talking about Tulsa?
Anonymous, there actually were a number of race riots in American cities, plus mob lynchings– particularly in the early part of the 20th century, around the era of the Omaha and Tulsa race riots. And there also were groups like the Ku Klux Klan who hated not only Blscks– but also, Catholics and Jews– and sought to persecute all three groups, violently. In 1921, the Ku Klux Klan killed the Catholic Cathedral pastor in Birmingham, AL, at his Cathedral — and persecuted and attacked Catholic priests all through the 1920s era.
Some historical events are sensitive and violent– and must be handled very carefully by good classroom history teachers. Such things as religious and racial bigotry and violence are very, very sensitive issues. Kids should reach a certain age of maturity, before handling some things. Best not to take sides (as with Jews/Palestinians) and teach kids that bigotry and violence are wrong. Very difficult sometimes! How about violence to defend your rights? Difficult.
I had an excellent history teacher in public high school in the 1950’s. He told us students, “Don’t believe everything in these books. History depends on who is telling it. Go out and search for yourselves.” He wanted us to put down on out tests the answer the history book gave, but he allowed us to put “According to the book” before any essay answers if we did not agree with what was printed in any of the books used for testing.
Anne TE– sounds like a good high school history teacher! I agree, there will always be different kinds of conflicts, in any country. I also believe love and respect for our country, and standing to salute our Flag, is very important!
Yes, Sorry!!!
Fingers typing faster than the brain was thinking, again.
Bob One, Not sure why anybody would thumbs down that comment. I found out about Tulsa just a few years ago when I googled if there had ever been an aerial bombing of the US. I don’t remember why I wondered.
It is all over the news now because it is the 100th anniversary of it.
Anonymous, the race riot of Omaha occurred in 1919, over a Black man accused of raping a White woman. The Tulsa race riot occurred in 1921, over a mistaken accusation of a Black man assaulting a young White lady. In the Tulsa case. the Blacks had built a well-to-do suburb of Tulsa, called the “Black Wall Street,” after the Civil War. Their entire suburb was destroyed in the race riot. The rector of the Tulsa Catholic Cathedral, and many Catholic groups (St. Vincent de Paul, K of C, nuns, laymen, etc.) sheltered the
stricken Blacks in the Cathedral, during and after the riots, and fed and clothed their families, and nursed the sick and wounded, and then helped them rebuild “Black Wall Street.” It is the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race riots. A tragedy in Tulsa’s history.
Anonymous, there has never been an aerial bombing of the U.S. Just think what could have happenned, if the Japanese, on Dec. 7, 1941, had flown on, beyond Pearl Harbor, and bombed San Fran. or L.A !
According to wikipedia, there was an accidental bombing of Naco, Arizona in 1929 and kerosene bombs dropped by airplane on Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood in 1921.
Then there is the well known attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii (not yet a state.)
There was an aerial bomb dropped on a row house in Philadelphia in 1985.
That wiki page does not include the WWII air raids in Oregon.
i would also include the bombing by airplane of September 11, 2001.
Well, there was no bomb in the 9/11 attack. And in 1941, Hawaii was not yet a state. I think most people think of bombings as actual bombs deliberately dropped from airplanes on foreign cities, in an attack of a foreign invader.
The airplanes and their fuel tanks were used as bombs.
Anonymous, airplanes and their fuel tanks are not called “bombs.”
This is when the so called “Progressives” show their true colors. They do not believe that all human beings were created equal (Let alone in God’s image and likeness), but that some people of certain ethnic groups are to be singled out for criticism and disdain, that they have some intrinsic fault and that they should be forced into their own ghettos and forced to take the blame for any perceived wrong.
Will we Christians keep silent and let the “Woke” prepare the gas chambers, or are the Woke so advanced that they will be using a more advanced method of extermination?
In case you want to contact the board of trustees:
https://www.husd.us/boardt
Way less about teaching the “actual history” than deconstructing the prevailing dominant culture. “There Are Bad People” isn’t really a popular topic when formulating a progressive curriculum because it implies there are bad people that we’re not talking about, ie, human sacrificing Aztecs, black African slave traders/owners, murderous, imperialist Native American nations…stuff like that. And it feels a lot more satisfying than talking about “There Are Good People”.
Face it, America is dead. I don’t know what to call the soft totalitarianism that is now in its place, but it’s not America anymore.
It has always been like this in this country. We just hear about it more now with easy access to the news. Every group has been fighting every other group in this country since the U.S. started and even before then.
I read on line about a Viking group that got as far as Florida, according to Scandinavian history. They were getting along with the native tribes until they sold them some type of dairy product, probably cheese, not knowing the native tribes were dairy intolerant. The tribe members got sick, thought they had been poisoned, then tried to kill the Vikings who promptly left on their ships for elsewhere.
America is not “dead,” Anonymous. These extremely immoral, liberal leftist Godless “crazies” of today, are not true Americans, they are misfit counterfeits, seeking to subversively undermine and destroy America.
It’s over. Look around. Civil war is inevitable.
Not so fast, Anonymous. The Devil has not yet won.
We tossed out Our Lord Jesus Christ a long time, ago why would you not expect Satan to take over.
Long time coming….
what about Philo-Semitism?
Recently, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed into law, legislation banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory, and three bills strengthening traditional Civics literacy, from kindergarten through post-grad education, in all Florida public schools. Florida might be a good place to raise a family. (Except, I am terrified of the alligators there.) It is rumored that Gov. DeSantis may be a 2024 Republican Presidential contender. Sounds hopeful for our country.
Sorry, in my post of July 7 at 12:57 am, I meant to say that Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law three bills to strengthen Civics literacy– besides banning Critical Race Theory– for all Florida public schools, kindergarten through post-secondary (not “post-grad”). Republican Gov. DeSantis is Catholic, Pro-Life, opposes Gay “Marriage,” and is pro-Religious Liberty. He may be a 2024 Presidential contender. Sounds great!
Sorry, in my post of July 7 at 12:57 am, I meant to say that Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law three bills to strengthen Civics literacy– besides banning Critical Race Theory– for all Florida public schools, kindergarten through post-secondary (not “post-grad”). Republican Gov. DeSantis is Catholic, Pro-Life, opposes Gay “Marriage,” and is pro-Religious Liberty. He may be a 2024 Presidential contender. Sounds great!