Dear friends,

It is not lost on me that in the middle of Jewish American Heritage Month, antisemitic incidents in New York and across the globe are skyrocketing to the point where some Holocaust survivors are drawing parallels to the 1930s.  While the First Amendment affords the right of peaceful protest—it does not extend the same protection to intentionally and hatefully intimidating Jewish students, staff, and community members.  Outside the gates of Columbia University, I heard vile, antisemitic, and outright hateful chants.  Let me be clear: Chants of “Zionists are not welcome here” are not peaceful. Chants glorifying October 7th, the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, are not peaceful. Calling for the erasure of the State of Israel “From the River to the Sea” and to “Globalize the Intifada” is not peaceful.  It is outrageous that Jewish students had to develop plans to get to and from their Passover Seders safely, free of hate and intimidation. 

Unfortunately, antisemitism isn’t limited to college campuses but has also reared its ugly head in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) - our nation’s largest school system with approximately 1 million students of all backgrounds.  This week, I went down to Washington, D.C. to witness Chancellor David Banks testify before a congressional committee about his actions to address antisemitism in NYCPS, especially following October 7th.  The Chancellor proudly noted his relationship with JCRC-NY, including his two highly influential visits to Israel with us.  From his chair, he forcefully condemned antisemitism in all its forms and described his swift actions to investigate incidents and discipline students, teachers, and administrators who engaged in antisemitism.  These comments drew a sharp contrast to the abysmal failure of some former Ivy League college presidents to recognize and address antisemitism on their campuses in recent months.

The Chancellor publicly committed to three key priorities, which have been championed by JCRC-NY:

1. Reinforcing the safety discipline code with all school leaders, including mandatory re-training to all NYC principals on the application of rules and regulations. 
   
   
2. The development and inclusion of a Jewish identity curriculum, which is the first of its kind in the NYC school system.
    
3. Community engagement via an inter-faith advisory committee, which JCRC-NY is a member of, to provide real-time feedback directly to the Chancellor while ensuring transparency and accountability. 

I want to emphasize this important commitment being made by the leader of the nation’s largest school district: Chancellor Banks publicly committed to developing a Jewish history and identity curriculum, which will include contributions and sacrifices countless Jewish Americans have made toward the positive development of New York and American life. Despite the significant Jewish population in New York City, the Jewish experience and culture is not well-known within NYCPS.  This initiative, which JCRC-NY has championed, represents a significant stride in demystifying Jewish identity, sharing our contributions with pride, and fostering safe, supportive, and respectful learning environments for all students and staff.

As a longtime educator, I believe in the power of a quality, fact-based, and culturally responsive education that can help build a more inclusive society and move us forward.

In conclusion, as we celebrate the numerous contributions of Jewish Americans toward American life during Jewish Heritage Month, let us remind New Yorkers and the world, of one particular and transformational contribution made by a Jewish New Yorker— the late Dr. Jonas Salk: Dr. Salk was a graduate of the City College of New York in the 1930s and went on to lead the development of the vaccine to eradicate polio in the 1950s. Dr. Salk did not wish to patent the vaccine because his main interest was not driven by profit, but by helping society beat a debilitating disease that even impacted President Roosevelt. 

The irony of having some hateful protestors chant “Zionists are not welcome here” in recent weeks on the very campus that Dr. Salk walked across over 90 years while he built his foundational knowledge to help the world fight against a dangerous disease—is not lost on me, nor should it be lost to anyone. 

This example, which highlights a Jewish New Yorker who helped millions of people from around the world from all walks of life, is one of many examples that our students, the next generation of college students and leaders, must learn about during their K-12 education journey. Every challenge presents an opportunity—and I am deeply committed to getting this right on behalf of our beautiful and vibrant Jewish community. After all, resiliency is, and will always be, in our DNA.

Shabbat Shalom, 

Mark Treyger
CEO JCRC-NY