We know that the new mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, is passionately opposed to Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, but we don’t know how many New York City school teachers share his beliefs. What we do know are these three facts: that there is serious anti-Israel bias in the New York City School system; a newsletter promoting anti-Israel activities was recently distributed by an office within the New York City Department of Education; and there is an ongoing pattern of activists targeting children with indoctrinating materials inside the classroom.
At first glance, it might seem confusing why Mamdani has lent his support for the “Hidden Voices” K-12 curriculum, given that the program acknowledges Zionism as a legitimate manifestation of Jewish identity. However, the move is actually consistent with his view that opposing Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and antisemitism are entirely separate issues.
A lack of respect and appreciation stemming from ignorance of the cultures, ethnicities, religions and the challenges individuals with disabilities have overcome makes New York a less vibrant, interesting and forward-looking city. An example of what ignorance leads to was horrifically expressed at Hillcrest High School.
This is exactly why the program was initiated by the Department of Social Studies in 2018 and developed by the New York City DOE in collaboration with experts from academic and cultural institutions across disciplines. The Hidden Voices Project intends to help students “learn about the innumerable people, often ‘hidden’ from the traditional historical record, who have shaped and continue to shape our history and identity.”
On the surface, the curriculum guide is a valuable resource for teachers committed to integrating lessons about the significant contributions the Jewish people have made and continue to make to enhance the general welfare and democratic institutions of the United States.
In the hands of a serious and fair-minded teacher, this curriculum could be used to enlighten students who are either ignorant of or hostile to Jewish history and culture. The success of “Hidden Voices” can be measured by the extent to which students learn to approach the richness and diversity of Judaism with deep appreciation and respect, rather than hostility and disdain, as was demonstrated at Origins High School in Brooklyn. Education of young people, not indoctrination, is one of the most effective weapons against bias and hate.
The problem is that the mayor’s support of “Hidden Voices” in no way dilutes his position that denying Jews the right to self-determination in Israel is not antisemitic, since the curriculum legitimizes anti-Zionism as a respected position currently held by influential members of the American Jewish community. While the controversial Liberated Ethnic Studies Curriculum that has made its way into a number of California schools is direct in its opposition to Zionism, “Hidden Voices” takes a more nuanced approach. The following excerpt is from the opening of its guide:
“Collectively, these profiles clearly show that the question of Jewish nationhood has long been central to the diaspora, so too does this group exhibit a range of attitudes about Zionism and the state of Israel, from passionate support to disengagement to harsh criticism. We have done our best to ensure that our contributors, who include scholarly historians, museum experts, educators and writers—a majority of whom identify as Jewish—represent similar diversity.”
Here lies the weakness: It opens the door to teachers who choose to develop lessons that uncritically promote ideas held by the anti-Zionist margin of the Jewish community. Students, rather than learning about the historical context of Zionism and its critical importance to the survival of the Jewish people, may be led to believe that Zionism and anti-Zionism are simply two equally respected political positions. After all, the mayor of New York City is an ardent supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination.
Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of BDS, hasn’t been shy about the movement’s destructive intent toward the Jewish people. Unless teachers are able and willing to teach their students about the destructive forces that underlie the anti-Zionist movement and its dire consequences for the Jewish people, they will be sowing the seeds of more misunderstanding about Jewish history rather than being sources of enlightenment.
While the guide does point out that 82% of adult American Jews “feel a strong connection to Israel,” teachers who base lessons on the “Jewish Americans in the United States” curriculum guide will be able to emphasize the anti-Zionist position and deemphasize the fact that Zionism is intrinsic to the Jewish identity for the majority of the world’s 16 million Jews.
Case in point: “Jewish students should not be made to feel responsible for the actions of Israel’s government and should not be pressured to represent or speak for the larger Jewish community or the State of Israel.”
This statement may seem benign, but it assumes Israel’s government has acted irresponsibly or illegally. It is puzzling why teachers who are offered a detailed and rich guide to help them weave hidden voices of the American Jewish community into their social studies curriculum would venture into the highly complex and contentious politics of the Middle East without having a deep appreciation of its history.
This language in the curriculum guide sounds more like a legal disclaimer than a commitment to fair and objective teaching. Perhaps this is simply advice to teachers that they should make an effort to put their Jewish students at ease by informing the class that “New York Jews are not their brother’s keeper.” In other words, does a teacher get a pass if they accuse Israel of being a settler-colonial enterprise as long as they inform their students that Jewish New Yorkers should not be held accountable?
There are voices within the New York City school system intent on promoting anti-Zionism rather than teaching history. Of course, the actions of any government should be examined, discussed and debated, but it should be a debate between people who agree on fundamental facts, which in this case is Israel’s legitimacy as the Jewish homeland. With or without the “Hidden Voices” guide, teachers have much more leeway in their ability to attack Israel’s legitimacy now that Mamdani has abandoned the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
It’s worth reminding that there is an ancient bond between Jews and the land of Israel.
New York City Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove eloquently communicated why Zionism is non-negotiable for the Jewish people: “Zionism, Israel, Jewish, self-determination; these are not political preferences or partisan talking points. They are constituent building blocks and inseparable strands of my Jewish identity.”
This rabbi speaks for the vast majority of the Jewish population.
Anti-Zionism is a uniquely uncompromising position. It takes the view that Jews have no right to national self-determination as a sovereign Jewish state. Antisemitism intersects with anti-Zionism when the position taken is that Jews have no claim on the land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, or when Israel is falsely accused of being an apartheid, settler colonial state and is therefore illegitimate. To be anti-Zionist is to condemn the people of Israel to political destruction and very likely physical destruction. A sincere anti-Zionist must come to terms with this fact and be honest in stating that they care not for the future of the Jewish people.
This was on full display on Jan. 8 outside the Young Israel synagogue in the Kew Gardens Hills neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., when people gathered to chant their adoration of Hamas. This was not a protest; it was a demonstration calling for the murder of Jews.
If New York City teachers take their cues from the mayor on the issue of Zionism, the lesson plans in the Hidden Voice’s guide concerning Jewish Americans will likely be biased in favor of the anti-Zionist position. The mayor’s opinion, spoken from a position of authority and popularity, will be viewed as a respected voice of one who is committed to “cherish” the Jewish people, while in reality, unwaveringly opposes Israel’s right to exist and, by extension, the rights of millions of Jews to live freely and safely in their indigenous homeland.
The implementation of the “Hidden Voices” pilot program includes teacher training and a process for collecting feedback from students and teachers. The analysis will be critical in helping teachers design and redesign lessons that are engaging and objective. Feedback from the classroom is essential for monitoring and evaluating the consistency of learning outcomes with curriculum goals. It will be critical that the feedback does not stop after the pilot phase ends to ensure that students are educated and not activated to take political stances.
School principals should brainstorm with teachers who are responsible for teaching social studies and history to figure out the best way to assure the public that education and not indoctrination is the goal of their school and of every teacher in the school. While the mayor may have abandoned IHRA, nothing is preventing a school or school district from adopting it to guide teachers and students in their understanding of what constitutes antisemitism. This would be extremely useful in helping students understand the important difference between being critical of a government and advocating for the elimination of a country.
Finally, New York City School Chancellor Kamar Samuels should assure communities that school administrators and concerned stakeholders will receive timely information regarding the content of lessons on Israel and Judaism, and will have his support and encouragement to work with teachers to help them both correct and prevent their classes from descending into an anti-Zionist narrative. This would be an effective check on bias and misinformation, which causes long-term damage to the Jewish community.
It would be a shame if the hidden voices of the majority of Jewish New Yorkers become whispers drowned out by the chants to “globalize the intifada.” The mayor’s support for the “Hidden Voices” addition to the social studies curriculum should be welcomed; it would be far better if, in a very loud voice, he would recognize that Zionism is the legitimate right of the Jewish people. This is the way for the mayor to honor his commitment to cherish the Jewish community.
