Swastikas in Gaza

As seen in Gaza, at the "Great Return March".  Swastika flags and  Hitler imagery.

The ideological heirs of the Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti  have utilized swastika imagery before.   They show their disdain for all of  humanity, and not just the Jewish people by displaying this symbol associated with the slaughter of millions of innocents

Governor Gavin Newsom: Draft Ethnic studies Curriculum, “will never see the light of day.”

California's Governor Gavin Newsom has unequivocally apologized for the California draft model curriculum, agreeing that it "was offensive in so many ways, particularly to the Jewish community.”

From Dan Pine, in the J Weekly, Northern California's Jewish paper:

From his office in the Capitol building, Gov. Gavin Newsom last week made a full-throated apology to California’s Jewish community for a controversial ethnic studies draft curriculum that erases the Jewish story in America and takes unsubtle digs at Israel.

The draft, said Newsom, “will never see the light of day.”

In spite of the widespread criticism, some of the drafters of the curriculum have doubled down, calling for a rally and press conference next Tuesday, and accusing the groups marginalized by the curriculum of  attempting to "dilute" it.

On her Facebook page,  Guadalupe Carrasco Cardona, an educator at the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center and one of the drafters of the curriculum, referred to those asking for inclusion as "loud ass critics",  and pointed out that anti-semitism as a form of oppression is mentioned in the draft.

Anti-semitism is mentioned only once in the 300 page model curriculum, while Islamphobia is mentioned 59 times.

According to the 2018 publication Hate Crime in California, anti-Jewish bias events rose from 104 in 2017 to 126 in 2018, an increase of 21.2 percent, while anti-Islamic bias events fell from 46  in 2017 to 28 in 2018.

The draft ethnic studies curriculum as it is written furthers discrimination and bigotry towards one of the most marginalized people in the world. Rather than mock the critics of the model draft curriculum, Cardona and her colleagues should take the time to read the public comments and take them to heart. In the meanwhile, the Jewish community and its allies are grateful for the leadership of Governor Galvin Newsom, and the California Jewish Legislative Caucus.

Vegans for Palestine: This one's for you.

For the newly formed group "Vegans for Palestine", which appears to be one person with a facebook page (I'm looking at you, Ariel!):  presenting the charming Eid greetings from starving Gaza's upscale grocery market, Meat city.

If this makes you want to buy lamb, you are a deeply disturbed human being.

Do you still believe Gaza is  "starving"?   Check out Meat City's Facebook page.  In addition to local products, they carry a variety of European, American, and  (I'm thinking BDS fail, here), Israeli products.

Snapshots from starving Gaza: Meat City Grocery

Snapshots from starving Gaza: Meat City Grocery

Business is brisk at Gaza's Meat city.

JVP's Ellen Brotsky is just fine with Model Curriculum that erases the American Jewish Experience

Jewish Voice for Peace has come out with a statement endorsing the widely discredited California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.

Of course Jewish Voice for Peace approves of the California Model Ethnic Studies Curriculum that erases Jewish identity.  They've been working hard to erase Jewish identity for years.

The document appears to have been authored by Ellen Brotsky.  Recently,  Brotsky was restrained and taken away by the police after interrupting programming at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center.

Ellen Brotsky does not represent Jewish communal interests.

JVP's Ellen Brotsky:  arrest  at the San Francisco Jewish community Center

Or perhaps you remember her assault on Jewish elders conducting a silent vigil in remembrance of victims of terror.

JVP's Ellen Brotsky: Assault on a Jewish elder

Ellen Brotsky does not represent Jewish communal interests.

Perhaps Ellen Brotsky thinks she speaks for the Jewish community, but no one else does. Ellen is as much of an outlier as her organization, which aspires to create “a wedge” within the American Jewish community, while working toward the goal of eliminating U.S. economic, military, and political aid to Israel.

JVP has infamously offered Ramadan accommodations, but not kosher food at their BDS boot camp. Not surprising- their marketing has never been directed towards Jewish community interests.

Jewish Voice for Peace does not represent Jewish interests

Brotsky and JVP dismiss the 83 civil rights, human rights, religious and education organizations  expressing concerns regarding the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC),  berating them as "Israel-aligned" and "Zionist".   Some  classes may read some parts of Anne Frank's diary in 8th grade.  To JVP, thats sufficient Holocaust education.     JVP's  accusation of "weaponizing antisemitism" echoes that of the white nationalist movements, and their allegation that Palestinians were "forced" to immigrate to the US is just blantantly false.

Jewish Voice for Peace claims "Jewish" heritage for the sole purpose of gaining political leverage in their fight against the Israel, the state of the Jewish people.  They speak for no one except themselves. For the proponents of this bigoted curriculum to use JVP as cover for their own irresponsibility in drafting this deeply flawed curriculum is the worst kind of "Jew-washing"

Samia Shoman. The anti-Israel drafter of the California Ethnic Studies model curriculum.

The fix was in from the very beginning. The 18 member curriculum committee tasked with writing the new ethnic studies curriculum was peppered with die-hard Israel haters, including Palestinian -American educator Samia Shoman.

Samia Shoman wasted no opportunity to demonize Israel when she taught World History at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo.

Shoman's classroom was decorated with anti-Israel posters and propaganda.

Propaganda poster in Samia Shoman's classroom Hillsdale  High School

Samia Shoman's classroom featured a large Palestinian flag

Propaganda poster in Samia Shoman's classroom Hillsdale  High School

Her definition and examples of "truth", "fact", "perspective" and "narrative" were enough to make George Orwell reach for a drink.

Her  "Teaching Palestine" curriculum and its accompanying material are available online.   Her teaching incorporates the long-discredited 4 part map "Palestinian loss of land".  She spreads the Mohammed al-Durrah blood libel- the one that gave rise to the term  "Pallywood,"  writing:

"In Gaza, a French broadcast crew captured footage of a boy called Mohammed al-Durrah being shot repeatedly by Israeli forces as he clung to his father."

She rationalizes and excuses the suicide bombings that lead to thousands of Israeli civilian casualties during the second Intifada, decorating her classroom with material that glorifies the murderous attacks on pizza places, buses and cafes.  

Samia Shoman's 2011 handout to her history grade class was simply false, deliberately mischaracterizing Israel's security fence as a "485 mile long concrete barrier", used to "humiliate" the Palestinians.  

Samia Shoman: lies and indoctrination

Samia Shoman's biography describes her as a manager of English Learner and Compliance Programs in the San Mateo Union High School District. Before then, she taught high school social science in the Bay Area and poisoned minds for 16 years.

Samia Shoman's curriculum ignores truth, facts and history, excuses violence, and erases the relationship of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland. Her inexcusable bias and her ready dismissal of truth make her an inappropriate choice to work with students in a classroom setting. Likewise, Shoman should have no further role in drafting the California model ethnic studies.

Armenian, Hellenic, Hindu, Jewish, and Korean Civic Groups Issue Joint Statement condemning California ethnic studies Curriculum

Its not just the Jewish community that  feels left out of the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.   The Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America -- Western Region (ANCA-WR), American Hellenic Council (AHC), American Jewish Committee (AJC), Hindu American Foundation (HAF), and the Korean American organization FACE (Faith and Community Empowerment) have showed the state Department of Education just what solidarity looks like:

From the AJC:

Diverse Coalition Urges Department of Education to Rewrite Ethnic Studies Curriculum

Los Angeles – August 13, 2019 – Six major organizations, representing a very large and diverse constituency across California, today called on the state’s Department of Education to set aside the draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and rewrite the document.

The Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America -- Western Region (ANCA-WR), American Hellenic Council (AHC), American Jewish Committee (AJC), Hindu American Foundation (HAF), and the Korean American organization FACE (Faith and Community Empowerment), issued the following joint statement:

“California high school students deserve an opportunity to learn the role of ethnicity, race and religion in the life of all its citizens, including those previously ignored. But the proposed Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, in its current form, does not come close to achieving this admirable goal."

“The draft lacks cultural competency, does not reflect California’s diverse population, and advances a political agenda that should not be taught as unchallenged truth in our state’s public schools."

“We urge the California Department of Education to completely redraft the curriculum, which is replete with mischaracterizations and omissions of major California ethno-religious groups. The groups highlighted in the current draft should be recognized, but not at the expense of everyone else.

From the GV Wire

Armen Sahakyan, executive director of the western region of the Armenian National Committee of America, said the exclusion of his group is troubling.

“It’s certainly concerning to us that this proposed model curriculum has omitted some of the groups that have been living in the state for over 100 years, including Armenians who first settled in California in the Fresno area and have been an integral part of the society of California for over a century,” Sahakyan said.

California State Board of Education admits the draft ethnic studies curriculum needs "substantial revision"

In the wake of widespread criticism, the California Board of Education has faced reality, and admits  "The current draft model curriculum falls short and needs to be substantially redesigned."

From an August 12 press release

CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION1430 N Street, Suite 5111
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-319-0827
Fax: 916-319-0175
For Immediate Release

August 12, 2019
Contact

Janet Weeks, Director of Communications
916-319-0313

jweeks@cde.ca.gov

State Board of Education President Darling-Hammond, Vice President Straus and  Member Ortiz-Licon Issue Joint Statement on Draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum

SACRAMENTO -- State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond, Vice President Ilene Straus and Board Member Feliza Ortiz-Licon issued the following joint statement today on the draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, now under development:

“Ethnic studies can be an important tool to improve school climate and increase our understanding of one another.A model curriculum should be accurate, free of bias, appropriate for all learners in our diverse state, and align with Governor Newsom’s vision of a California for all.The current draft model curriculum falls short and needs to be substantially redesigned.

Following the Instructional Quality Commission’s review and response to all public comments, a new draft will be developed for State Board of Education review and potential approval. The Board will ultimately adopt an ethnic studies model curriculum that aligns to California’s values.”

Linda Darling-Hammond, President

Ilene Straus, Vice President

Feliza Ortiz-Licon, Board Member and Liaison to the Instructional Quality Commission

Public comment on the draft model curriculum will be accepted through August 15. More information on the process can be found at  https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmcpubliccomment.asp.

Good Sports: Israeli Lacrosse team buys cleats for their Kenya rivals.

Sport, music and art have a way of bringing people together- of reaching across national borders and finding common ground.

In the 2019 Women’s Lacrosse U19 World Championships in Peterborough, Ontario Israel women played against the Kenya team,  defeating them 13-4.

During the match, the Israeli team realized that their opponents didn’t have cleats.  The next day, the Israelis brought the Kenya team brand new cleats.

Kenya, sporting their new cleats,  went on to defeat Belgium 16-9, earning its second win of the tournament.

Code Pink is hiring

Code pink is hiring.

You may remember the women-led grassroots initiative from their protests at the Berkeley Marine Recruitment Center, or from their "Mimes for Gaza" campaign.

Code Pink Mimes for Gaza

Code Pink Mimes for Gaza

Code Pink Mimes for Gaza

Because everyone loves a mime.

You might remember their 2 hour hunger strike at the Egyptian consulate. 

You might remember their full -on embracing of open anti-semites.

Ariel Gold, Elleanne Green, Medea Benjamin

Silly, silly Code Pink.

Sometimes Code Pink likes to dress up.
Sometimes they like to, erm, dress down.

Rae Abileah Code Pink

Code Pink is now hiring a "Middle East Campaign Manager", and nothing in the job description requires either silly costumes or public nudity.

From their posting:

CODEPINK is seeking a passionate and hard-working Middle East Campaign Coordinator to strengthen our work on "ending the US-Saudi relationship", and  "ending the US support for other Middle Eastern human rights abusing countries like Egypt and Israel. " The ideal candidate "must be committed to working towards peaceful relations between the US and Iran."

To work for Code Pink, you must overlook the murderous homophobic regime of the Iranian mullahs.  Don't let the bodies hanging from cranes bother you.  Ignore the young women imprisoned for decades for daring to remove the compulsory hijab. Turn your back on the leading state sponsor of terror in the world.

Do it for "justice",  a  glowing sense of self righteousness, and a 401k.

Starting date is flexible. Salary is based on experience.

The California Legislative Jewish Caucus issues a statement against biased model curriculum

The California Legislative Jewish Caucus  has issued a statement regarding the initial draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC), which will be open for public comment until August 15, 2019.  

From the Caucus: 

Once revised and approved, California’s ESMC will serve as the standard for public classroom instruction across the state. In its current form, the draft curriculum is inaccurate and misleading in several critical respects and reflects an anti-Jewish bias.

We are working with our allies in the legislature and our Jewish organizational partners to improve the current ESMC draft so that we may adopt a curriculum that is appropriate for all of California’s children.

According to the statement, the current draft curriculum effectively erases the American Jewish experience, omits any meaningful discussion of antisemitism, denigrates Jews, and singles out the state of Israel for condemnation

The California Legislative Jewish Caucus concludes:

It would be a cruel irony if a curriculum meant to help alleviate prejudice and bigotry were instead to marginalize Jewish students and fuel hatred against the Jewish community.  Without significant edits the ESMC will do just that.

View the  full statement here.

The community unites against biased ethnic studies model curriculum

A draft of the the first state level curriculum on ethnic studies in the country is now available on line through the Department of Education.  Public comment will be open until August 15.

From the JNS:  Proposed anti-Israel ethnic-studies curriculum in California has Jewish community on alert

Tammi Benjamin, tireless fighter against anti-Semitism on campus has weighed in already:  

“[It] is deeply troubling—not only for its shocking omission of any mention of Jewish Americans or anti-Semitism or its blatant anti-Israel bias and praise of BDS, but for its clear attempt to politically indoctrinate students to adopt the view that Israel and its Jewish supporters are part of ‘interlocking systems of oppression and privilege’ that must be fought with ‘direct action’ and ‘resistance.’

From Central pacific regional director (ADL) of the the Anti-Defamation League Seth Brysk:

“This is nothing more than an attempt by fringe activists to highjack the model ethnic-studies curriculum for California high schools in the service of radical political goals.”

From Masha Merkulova the executive director of the nationwide Zionist youth group, Club Z:
|“The proposed California curriculum intentionally excludes Jews as an ethnic group that has faced oppression; presents a one-sided narrative of the only Jewish state; and provides a mouthpiece for the bigoted BDS movement"

From the executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Asaf Romirowsky, the draft represents a “one-sided politicized curriculum, especially as it relates to Israel and the Middle East.”

From the LA Times:   California’s proposed new ethnic studies curriculum is jargon-filled and all-too-PC.

....a current draft of the model curriculum, drawn up by a committee of teachers and academics and headed to the State Board of Education, is an impenetrable melange of academic jargon and politically correct pronouncements. It’s hard to wade through all the references to hxrstory and womxn and misogynoir and cisheteropatriarchy.

From the Progressive Zionists of California:
PZC Calls for Significant Changes to Antisemitic Ethnic Studies Sample Curriculum

...We are deeply disappointed that the current draft promotes the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and other anti-Israel narratives, while excluding the Jewish community as a diverse and frequently targeted ethnic group.

Its no surprise that  at least some of the drafters of the model curriculum, Theresa Johnson, Theresa Montano and Samia Shoman have a history of anti-Israel agitation and bias.

Outraged?  Stand With Us has some practical suggestions for action

Stop Anti-Israel Hate in California Public Schools

To submit feedback about the curriculum, follow these steps: 

Download the public input form here.
Fill out the form, respectfully requesting the removal of BDS and other anti-Israel bias from the model curriculum.
The form asks for references to specific pages, so please include page 2 of this document, as well as pages 234, 237, 242, 256, and 264-269 of this document.
Add a general comment to the form urging the state to add lessons about American Jews as an ethnic group, including those who fled the Holocaust, oppression in the Middle East, and discrimination in the former Soviet Union.

Email the form to ethnicstudies@cde.ca.gov

Consider signing this petition at change.org  

Stop institutionalized bigotry in CA public schools