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The School District of Philadelphia building. (Photo by It\u2019s Our City courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n The School District of Philadelphia building. (Photo by It\u2019s Our City courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n
The School District of Philadelphia is facing scrutiny from Jewish organizations that say it isn\u2019t doing enough to curb antisemitism from its employees.<\/p>\n
Ismael Jimenez, director of the social studies curriculum for the school district, as well as the district itself, are under fire from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and other local Jewish organizations for statements that Jimenez made in a video clip and on his social media accounts that the organization says \u201cappear to rationalize the Hamas-led massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.\u201d<\/p>\n
On June 4, three days after a man attacked a group participating in a demonstration for Israeli hostages in Gaza, killing one, Jimenez posted a blank red square on Instagram that reads, \u201cThe groups who align themselves with American savageness should not be surprised when the savageness is turned on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jimenez did not offer any further context for this post, although he also made comments when he appeared on a podcast in 2023 that the Federation said are part of \u201ca pattern of denying the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, refusing to speak about peace or coexistence and downplaying the lived experiences of Jewish people in the face of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a statement that appears to excuse or even condone violence. It sends a dangerous message to Jewish Philadelphians: that violence against them is to be expected. Words matter \u2013 especially from leaders who shape what our children learn,\u201d said the Federation in reference to the post.<\/p>\n
Jason Holtzman, chief of the Federation\u2019s Jewish Community Relations Council, said that the organization supports freedom of speech, but that doesn\u2019t excuse hate or discrimination.<\/p>\n
\u201cI very much believe that these individuals have the First Amendment right to say whatever they want and express whatever they want, but we know very well that speech can have consequences, and spreading vitriolic hateful content on social media is something that I think shouldn\u2019t be ignored,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a November 2023 episode of the Freedom Friday Podcast, Jimenez said that \u201cOct. 7 \u2026 didn\u2019t happen out [of] the blue \u2014 this is a generations of folks who feel like their voice has been denied.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Federation says that that comment amounts to Jimenez sympathizing with those who committed the attacks of Oct. 7.<\/p>\n
The Federation noted in its letter that there is a \u201cresponse from [podcast host] Citizen Stewart, who offers a clear and moral rejection of such rhetoric,\u201d when he said that \u201cIf you can look at Israeli people being gunned down at a festival and think to yourself, \u2018Well, they somehow deserved it,\u2019 there is something wrong with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the original version of the letter said that that response was \u201cimmediate,\u201d it has since amended the letter to reflect that there was an approximate 14-minute gap in time between Jimenez\u2019s comment and Stewart\u2019s comment.<\/p>\n
Stewart added more: \u201cImagine you, having nothing to do with any of [this] stuff, being at a festival, being shot down or kidnapped,\u201d he said, likening it to those who sympathized with the attackers of 9\/11.<\/p>\n
Neither Jimenez nor the School District of Philadelphia responded to a request for comment for this story.<\/p>\n
The letter asks Jimenez if he \u201c[believes] the 350+ young people \u2014 many of them peace activists \u2014 murdered at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7 deserved their fate?\u201d and if he \u201c[justifies] the kidnapping of civilians, including elderly Holocaust Survivors and foreign nationals, who were taken simply for being present?\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter was published by the Federation and endorsed by Philadelphia\u2019s branch of the ADL, as well as AJC Philadelphia\/Southern New Jersey, Gratz College, the Jewish Community Relations Council, StandWithUs Mid-Atlantic and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.<\/p>\n
Holtzman said that the organization has been in contact with the school district about antisemitism and that the district has not been able to provide much comment as to any internal investigations or processes on this matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been having conversations with the Philadelphia school district for quite a while now about antisemitism happening inside of the school district,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just completely appalling that there is somebody who\u2019s responsible for public education, a high-level administrator who outright spreads hostility against Jews, hostility against Israel. [There are] concerns about him possibly bringing this into the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
In that same podcast episode, Jimenez said that quality teaching on a sensitive issue like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict teaches students to think critically \u2014 it doesn\u2019t tell them what to think.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should be able to talk about sensitive issues without basically imposing your views onto other people, or feeling like their experience should measure up to yours,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause you\u2019re really engaging in a dialogue about how we\u2019re interpreting the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holtzman said that this isn\u2019t just an ideal; it\u2019s the school district\u2019s policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom their own policy, it says, \u2018The board permits the introduction and proper educational use of controversial issues provided that their use in the instructional program does not indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view, encourages balanced presentations and open mindfulness and does not offend on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cSo that right there is a clear example of school district policies that aren\u2019t being enforced.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Holtzman said that often that rule has not been followed in public schools in Philadelphia when it comes to teaching about Israel.<\/p>\n
In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Education found that the district failed to show it provided adequate protection for Jewish students from harassment from other students, teachers and administrators who engaged in antisemitic behavior.<\/p>\n
The department announced that it would require the district to \u201creview its policies and procedures,\u201d \u201cdevelop or revise its procedure for documenting each report or complaint of harassment\u201d and \u201cconduct an audit of each school \u2026 to review the consistency of the application of and compliance with the district\u2019s policies and procedures regarding non-discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holtzman said that, ultimately, this issue requires everyone to take a stand \u2014 not just the school district.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like to see more moral clarity from leaders across our society, definitely from school leadership, but also from political officials, clergy and policy makers,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to stop going with moral equivalencies and go towards moral clarity. People shouldn\u2019t always do what\u2019s easy and convenient \u2014 they need to do what\u2019s right, and stick to morals and stick to values.\u201d<\/p>\n