Independent Schools event apologizes for speaker's anti-Israel rhetoric

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) apologized for remarks made by a speaker at a conference, which leading Jewish organizations had said created a hostile environment for Jewish attendees.

NAIS responded to a joint letter issued by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Jewish Federations of North America, Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, and the Anti-Defamation League regarding the organization’s December 4-7 People of Color Conference (PoCC).

The Jewish groups said that keynote speaker Dr. Suzanne Barakat had used the platform to label Israel as a racist endeavor engaged in genocide.

Barakat reportedly defined Zionism as a notion that embodies “some European Jews deciding that the solution to solving antisemitism in Europe and Russia was an establishment of a state in Palestine.”

The doctor’s and others’ use of the term “genocide” fell in contradiction with the school’s mission for proper education, said the Jewish groups, arguing that the institution should present the complexities of international conflicts.

“The pervasiveness of this rhetoric and the absence of any alternate perspectives created an atmosphere that was hostile for many Jewish students and faculty members in attendance. The vast majority of the Jewish community is Zionist and supports self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their indigenous homeland of Israel,” said the organizations.

“These occurrences, along with others reported by Jewish attendees, display a fundamental undermining of the principles of inclusivity and equity that NAIS stands for and a marginalization of Jewish students and educators at a time of skyrocketing antisemitism,” they said.

The Jewish groups added that they had received one report of a Jewish student who said that he and his peers had to tuck in their Stars of David apparel and walk out of the conference as other attendees “glared and whispered.”

“We urge you to ensure that speaker selection procedures are in place in advance of NAIS’s upcoming annual conference, and any future NAIS programming ensures that such toxic rhetoric will not recur,” read the Wednesday letter. “In addition, we call upon NAIS leadership to issue a full and direct apology for the pervasive antisemitism at PoCC.”

NAIS head Debra Wilson said they would implement a change to the speaker and content review process for their conferences, including requirements for presentations to be submitted in advance with full remarks.

She also said, “No last minute changes will be permitted without explicit review and approval.”

'No place for antisemitism'

“There is no place for antisemitism at NAIS events, in our member schools, or in society,” said Wilson. “We understand that antisemitism is one of history’s oldest and ugliest hatreds. It manifests not only in obvious acts of violence and discrimination but in subtle erasures and exclusions.

“In this regard, we recognize the particular importance of acknowledging Jewish people of color – including educators – who have too often been rendered invisible in discussions of both Jewish identity and racial justice.”

Wilson said the organization was committed to discussing difficult topics at its events. It would approach these with sensitivity and work to rebuild trust.

The AJC welcomed Wilson’s response and said it was in dialogue with senior NAIS leadership and intends to collaborate with them in the future.