Education brings understanding
Dear Jones Community,
As Jewish students at Jones, we are shocked and disturbed by the recent actions of antisemitism within our school community and feel the need to speak up in this time of hate.
Jones’ Halloween festivities, intended to spur amusement and cheer in the student body, instead brought the latest occurrence of bigotry and hate to the school community. There should be absolutely no tolerance for any form of hate, and the fact that we feel so mortified in what should be a safe space is appalling.
We are students who are fortunate enough to have spent an entire year in middle school studying the Holocaust and wish others could have received similar education. As the descendants of Holocaust survivors, we recognize the importance of learning about our history and utilizing that knowledge to stop hate against all groups of people in our communities. We read Night by Elie Wiesel, completed year-long projects, and learned from Holocaust survivors about their experiences, which taught us the necessity of learning about this tragic time period. However, not everyone received this education, even though it’s mandated by Illinois state law.
The consequences of not undergoing Holocaust education are substantial and cannot be overlooked. A study of Millennials and Gen Z by Claims Conference, an organization that seeks reparations for Holocaust survivors, found that 54% of Illinois residents couldn’t name a concentration camp or ghetto, and 59% didn’t know the Holocaust killed six million Jews. After speaking with many peers, we learned that there is little Holocaust education within Jones lesson plans despite a state law that mandates its inclusion in curriculums.
We strongly urge Jones teachers to consider ways they can weave Jewish education into their lesson plans. We also urge students to do their own research, perhaps by visiting the Illinois Holocaust Museum, using the Anti-Defamation League’s BINAH program, or attending Jewish Student Connection. Don’t hesitate to start an open conversation with peers and learn about their culture and experience.
The event that occurred on Halloween is not a standalone event. Some teachers at Jones neglected and derided students and colleagues’ requests for light coursework on the high holidays this year. Many non-religious private schools and suburban public schools in the Chicagoland area give students off for the holidays. Additionally, through talking to members of the Jones community, we recognize a lack of education on Jewish stereotypes and on the physical definition of antisemitism. Antisemitism is defined as hostility or prejudice against Jewish people. We believe that an increased amount of education surrounding the Holocaust and other genocides will prevent acts of antisemitism, along with other acts of hatred, from occurring in our community.
To the Jones administration, while we understand you have a lot of competing interests and have to work within CPS rules and regulations, we hope you will join us in solidarity in continuing to work to make Jones a safe place for Jewish students. Please help us instill better Jewish education into curriculums and respond more aggressively to antisemitism in our community.
To the Jones community, we appreciate the outpour of support we have received. It’s incredibly powerful to know we have a strong community behind us as we work to eradicate antisemitism and hatred from both our school community and our greater society. We encourage you to continue educating yourselves on the history of marginalized groups and to use your voice to stand up against hatred toward all demographics.
To the Jones Jewish community, we fight alongside you as we work to eradicate antisemitism from our school. We urge you to educate your peers on our religion and culture and to stand up against hatred and bigotry in all forms. We hope to work with you as we create solutions toward preventing future acts such as what occurred on Monday and hope to hear your concerns and ideas toward creating change.
Sincerely,
Gabi Josefson, Celia Pincus, Jason Bernstein, & Dean Goldman
The Jewish Editors of the Jones Blueprint
Gabi is a senior who is exuberant to serve as the Blueprint's Co-Editor-in-Chief. It's his 3rd year on the Blueprint and he is thrilled to be part of this...
Jason is a senior and is the Sports Editor for The Blueprint this year. This is his second year doing journalism, and he is ready to keep the school updated...
Dean is a senior and second year journalist at JCP. After a year on the sports staff, Dean is the copy editor this year and has big plans with the broadcast...
Miriam Lichstein • Nov 9, 2022 at 8:53 pm
Thank you for speaking up and being leaders by sharing your voices!
Julie • Nov 8, 2022 at 9:51 pm
Fantastic and well written response to what’s going on. Proud of these students for being upstanders!
Steve Rochon • Nov 8, 2022 at 5:51 pm
During my career as an educator, I had the privilege of serving as faculty advisor for a student group dedicated to cultural understanding and social equity. For five years during this period, I teamed with a faculty member of of the Libertyville HS Social Studies Department to present an annual student conference as part of her Holocaust unit. The center piece of this conference was the film “Schindler’s List,” with pre- and post-film session to provide perspective and allow for feedback. In our fifth year, we were honored to have an elderly couple who were Schindlerjuden, who provided firsthand accounts of their experiences during the events depicted in the film.
I always had hope that the generations that followed mine would be wiser, better informed, and would have no tolerance for lies and intolerance. In the years that followed 2016 however, I have felt less hopeful of that. Jones College Prep could do a much better job of making that hope a reality; we all could. Yet I remain thankful for the bright lights, such as those who crafted this letter, who are visible in this darkness.
Naomi Altman • Nov 8, 2022 at 7:48 am
Amazing work reporting on this. I’m very proud of you guys.