The superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District overruled a plan approved by the Board of Education to display Israeli flags on all campuses during Jewish American Heritage Month, citing concerns about student safety.
On Tuesday, the board voted 3-2 in favor of the flag display, which was part of a resolution on combating antisemitism that also called for greater education on Jewish history and recognizing remembrance days for the Holocaust and Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
On Friday, Beverly Hills Unified Supt. Alex Cherniss announced that he was using his executive authority to stop the flag display.
“In light of heightened safety concerns around the displaying of flags on our campuses I have made the decision to take immediate action for the safety and security of our students,” he said in a statement. “Until further notice, no flags will be displayed on our campuses other than the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the State of California.
Cherniss cited a board policy that allows the superintendent to act on behalf of the district when immediate action is necessary to avoid risk to the school community or school property.
The motion to display the Israeli flag had stirred controversy inside and out of the Beverly Hills school community.
Several board members and community members lauded the display as a way to signify support of the Jewish community amid an ongoing surge in antisemitism. Critics, on the other hand, said that the flag symbolizes support of the Israeli state and that this is inappropriate in a public school setting.
Some also raised concerns about the display signifying approval of the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, where where more than half a million people are living in famine amid the ongoing war.
Board President Rachelle Marcus voted against the resolution due to concerns that displaying the Israeli flag would make campuses a target.
“I can’t, in all good conscience, put something in front of the school that will add stress to our safety, for the student body, to the faculty, to everybody that works in the school,” she said at Tuesday night’s board meeting. “I just can’t do it.”
Board member Amanda Stern also voted no, saying that singling out a specific national flag to display is inappropriate in a public school setting. She also said she listened to concerns from community members who said that being against antisemitism does not mean they support the Israeli government.
“I love Israel,” said Stern. “But I don’t think it [the flag] belongs here.”
Board member Russell Stuart, on the other hand, pushed back on the sentiment that the flag display carries political significance.
“The display of a flag during Jewish American Heritage Month is not a direct endorsement of the Israeli government,” he said. “It is a support for our Jewish students and the Jewish community. I really don’t see this as being so difficult.”
Board member Sigalie Sabag urged her fellow board members to pass the resolution, saying that it was important to do everything in their power to combat the ongoing spike in antisemitic attacks.
“This is a time right now that Jews are being killed and slaughtered on the street and threats are happening,” she said. “So enough, we need to stand up and not do what the Jewish Germans did in Nazi Germany. They were too scared to speak up.”
The Anti-Defamation League reported a 360% surge in antisemitic incidents in America in the three months following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack compared to the same time period the previous year. Last year, there were 9,354 antisemitic incidents reported across the U.S., representing a 893% increase over the last 10 years, according to the ADL.
The Los Angeles chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, a coalition of anti-Zionist American Jews, issued a statement urging the use of means other than the Israeli flag to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month and promote the safety of the Jewish people.
“[Displaying the] Israeli flag equates Judaism with Zionism and the state of Israel,” said JVP L.A. in a statement. “Yet, there is so much more to our faith, community, and history than a flag that has now become a symbol of genocide.”
Although the Beverly Hills Unified Board of Education initially approved a plan to display Israeli flags on campuses, there was never any intention to fly them from a flagpole, according to a district spokesperson.