I write to clarify the issues raised by the recent apology sent by Principal Johnny Cole to the whole seventh-grade class at Diamond Middle School. In a June 22nd email, the principal apologized to Diamond seventh-graders for “a session about antisemitism connecting the learning you had done in Social Studies class about the Holocaust to the modern world” that left some students feeling “left out or erased.” Because the apology did not name the harm it was apologizing for, but did name Arab, Muslim, Lebanese, and Palestinian student identities, it left the impression that parents of these backgrounds had objected or felt “left out” of a lesson on the Holocaust. That is not true. 

Earlier this month I joined a parent meeting with Dr. Cole and Lexington school superintendent Dr. Julie Hackett. I was there as a member of Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff, a New England Jewish organization of higher education professionals dedicated to clarifying the distinction between Jewish identity and pro-Israel political views.

In fact, the Lexington parents were objecting to a workshop at Diamond run by an outside group called TribeTalk this spring. Purporting to educate students about how to prevent antisemitism and be “upstanders,” TribeTalk instead gave a presentation conflating Jewish identity with support for the Israeli government—a conflation that only feeds antisemitism, as many mainstream Jewish organizations have warned. 

TribeTalk materials and workshops do not teach the Holocaust, they exploit it. They insist on the disingenuous “Three Ds” yardstick coined by former Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Natan Sharansky—Delegitimization, Demonization, and Double Standards—which is used to shield Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank from criticism. TribeTalk pushes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which mislabels political speech as anti-Jewish ethnic or religious bias. TribeTalk and similar groups silence critical perspectives and pro-Palestinian views, trying hard to ignore the plurality of American Jews who do not identify as Zionist.

Once these problems were explained, it was heartening to see the administrators’ willingness to learn and try to repair the harm their misguided invitation had caused. Unfortunately, what followed was a predictable smear campaign. The vehement, ill-informed online response has been fanned by a Washington, DC-based group called StopAntisemitism, known for stunts like placing children’s content creator Ms. Rachel on its “Antisemite of the Year” list. Such groups seek simply to co-opt our K-12 education system and public discourse in the service of a foreign government. They do not care if they destroy our civic fabric in the process. No wonder they are now spreading misinformation about both the TribeTalk fiasco and the district’s response.

Margaret Litvin 

The writer is a founding member of Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff.

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