by Daniel Stefanski | Nov 24, 2023 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Earlier this month, Arizona’s schools chief took a stand against antisemitic and anti-American materials at state schools.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne held a press conference to “denounce antisemitic and anti-American materials provided by UNICEF and Amnesty International at a high school club event that made Jewish students feel unsafe.”
The reason for Horne’s press conference, according to the release from the Arizona Department of Education, was due to tips from “several community members who had learned of antisemitic and anti-American materials being presented at a lunchtime club sponsored by those organizations…at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale.”
Horne minced no words in alerting the public to the dangers to students by the presence of these materials at this school – or any school in the state, saying, “The materials presented to these students were profoundly antisemitic in particular and anti-American , in nature. Some of the material states that ‘Palestinians have been subject to killings, torture, rape, abuse, and more for over 75 years.’ This is a ‘blood libel’ similar to the blood libels used in the Middle Ages to get people to go out and kill random Jewish people.”
The Republican superintendent pointed out the failure of these materials to document the truth of the horrific attacks in southern Israel on October 7. He said, “In none of this propaganda is there any reference to what happened on October 7. The fact that 1,400 civilians were murdered does not begin to describe to horror of what Hamas did. They went house to house in the neighborhoods, machine gunning entire families, and sometimes killing fathers in front of their children and children in front of their fathers. They copied the Nazi technique of setting fire to houses so that people would burn to death, or if they came out of the fire house, killed them upon their exit. The actions of Hamas are a repetition of what happened during World War II. Yet the materials make no mention of October 7.”
Horne shared an email he had sent to each district superintendent across the state, asking that their schools refrain from inviting UNICEF and Amnesty International and soliciting any materials from these two groups to campuses. The schools chief warned that “giving aid and comfort to terrorists is contrary to US law,” and that the groups and their literature “generate antisemitism among impressionable young people.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Nov 8, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
A UNICEF club at Desert Mountain High School (DMHS) allegedly told meeting attendees to side with Hamas in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Hamas is a terrorist group and the de facto governing entity of the Gaza strip, the heart of the ongoing conflict.
In images posted to X (formerly Twitter), the club declared that Israel was an apartheid state, desired to eradicate Muslims, and was the aggressor in the ongoing conflict.
Specifically, the club declared that Israel has been illegally occupying, taking, and settling on land belonging to Palestinians; that Israel had engaged in ethnic cleansing and apartheid by forcibly displacing and discriminating against Palestinians; and that Israel unjustly tortured and imprisoned Palestinians, including 80 percent of Palestinian children.
The club also notified club members of an upcoming fundraiser to submit proceeds to UNICEF Gaza, and plans to reroute Halloween fundraising funds to Gaza and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
A candidate for Arizona Department of Education Superintendent, Shiry Sapir, said that the meeting was an endangerment to Jewish students by issuing a false representation of the Israel-Palestine conflict escalated last month by the terrorist organization Hamas.
“Remind [DMHS] that publicly funded schools aren’t supposed to partake in propaganda and anti-Semitic rhetoric,” said Sapir.
Sapir urged district leadership to implement a preemptive plan to prevent retaliation against Jewish students, and for a representative of Israel come to speak at the school to the students present at the UNICEF club meeting.
Sapir learned of the incident after receiving a report from a parent, who also reported filing a complaint with the school about the club meeting.
“I wish [my daughter] took pics or video but she said all they spoke about was how Israel is the aggressor and Jews want to kill all Muslims,” said the parent. “How Israel took the land illegally and is committing war crimes. Craziest propaganda.”
The principal, Lisa Hirsch, said in a letter to the DHMS community that she reviewed and approved the slide content before the club meeting. Hirsch emphasized that school clubs were optional and intended to be safe spaces that foster inclusivity. However, she noted that school officials would be reviewing club meetings to ensure content aligned with principles of free speech and mutual respect.
“We are dedicated to promoting an environment that encourages open dialogue, the sharing of diverse perspectives, and constructive conversations while respecting the rights and values of every member of our school community,” said Hirsch.
There are four other UNICEF high school clubs in Arizona in addition to DMHS: Basis Chandler High School, Basis Scottsdale, Basis Peoria, and Hamilton High School.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
