Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to Newton Public Schools seeking emails from board members and the superintendent as well as district statements regarding the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel. On October 15, a Jewish history teacher explained how she felt regarding the Hamas terrorist attack and how Jews at the moment are worried about the future in an email to other staff at Newton North High School. Several other school staff responded in support of this teacher.
However, a science teacher at Newton North High School then responded on October 17 that “I cannot claim to love Israel” despite being Jewish. This teacher sent a long email to the high school’s staff condemning and blaming Israel for the Hamas terrorist attack. He stated: “In my adult lifetime, the State of Israel has made policy decisions and committed acts of discrimination and violence, many of which have been condemned worldwide, in the name of Jews and Judaism, and with the stated purpose of protecting itself. No doubt more will follow in the coming weeks.” He then added:
I recognize that Jewish students and colleagues need time to grieve, and that it is important to publicly call out acts of terrorism, but I cannot separate those horrible acts from what led to them, unjustifiable as those acts are. And while I mourn the loss of innocent Israeli lives, and worry about the fates of those captured and held hostage, I cannot help but also see how Israel is killing innocent Palestinians, cutting off power, food, and water to Palestinians, forcing Palestinians to leave their land, bombing schools and hospitals full of Palestinians, many of whom are also babies, and women, and men who are trying to do nothing more than survive in unconscionable living conditions regulated by Israel.
This science teacher then appeared to attack the message from the original teacher:
But my heart aches a little more every time I hear that condemnation from someone with a microphone, be that an elected official or a superior or a colleague or a student, without also calling out the reprehensible conduct of the State of Israel. It has been hard to be a Jew these last days, but it has also been hard to be proud to be a Jew.
This science teacher later in his email claimed that the Hamas attack required “historical context.” He said: “Many Jews believe in the idea of tikkun olam, that the world is broken and it is incumbent upon Jews to work to make it better. And, to me, that means publicly recognizing where Hamas’ attacks are situated in historical context, and advocating for courses of action that will minimize the further loss of innocent life.”
