Other items in this column include
*Community presentations
*Political bytes
*Recommended reading
SAN DIEGO — A last-minute recommendation to include a special unit on Arab-Americans in California’s revised Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) has drawn criticism from Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa (JIMENA) and StandWithUs.
At Thursday’s meeting of the Instructional Quality Commission, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond recommended that two sample lessons be added to the proposed public schools curriculum, specifically “adding a sample lesson on the Pacific Islander experience” and “developing a sample lesson on Arab American Studies that focuses on the Arab American experience in the United States.”
While the recommendation concerning Pacific Islanders was not controversial, JIMENA’s executive director, Sarah Levin, commented that “at least 60 percent of the Middle Eastern and North African population in California do not identify as Arab. From Armenian students in Glendale, to Persian students in West Los Angeles, to Coptic students in Fresno, minority MENA students constitute the majority of MENA Californians. In other words, the stories of MENA populations that are a demographic majority of Californians are ignored in this curriculum, while a one-sided Arab American story is featured prominently.”
Furthermore, Levin said, “We are concerned that the new Arab American Studies curriculum will include highly politicized — and in some cases, antisemitic content — as it did in the past draft. It is particularly troubling that the California Department of Education has suggested that the Arab American studies section of the curriculum be finalized without public review to ensure that this section is inclusive, accurate, and free from discriminatory content.”
Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, commented: “We unequivocally support JIMENA’s call for a broader Middle Eastern American studies unit to be added to the ESMC. The curriculum should be inclusive of all Middle Eastern communities in California, including Jews, Iranians, Arabs, Kurds, Assyrian Christians, Coptic Christians, and others. There is no educational or moral justification for favoring one of these communities over others in the curriculum.”
Superintendent Thurmond’s office said the “recommendations and proposed edits were informed after reviewing tens of thousands of public comments, learning from ethnic studies subject matter experts and thought leaders, listening to educators, and engaging with students across the state.
“Based on stakeholder feedback, the CDE (California Department of Education) has recommended removing all language or content that can be perceived as anti-Semitic—a commitment the State Superintendent said should not be broken as recommendations continue to be revised.”
The California Department of Education announced “its intent to add these sample lessons to its recommendations in an effort to provide frequent, transparent, and real-time updates to all stakeholders.” Thurmond said the CDE “will need more time to work with ethnic studies experts and instructors to finalize a sample Arab American Studies lesson before it can be submitted for public review.”
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Community presentations
Above — Sandy Scheller, organizer of the Holocaust exhibit at the Chula Vista Public Library (now closed because of COVID-19) has taken her programming to the Internet. In the video shown above, she interviews Hedy Dalin of Jewish Family Service about programs available for Holocaust survivors, along with other subjects.
August 17 — The Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel Initiative (MGSDII) sponsors a panel at 10 a.m. Monday, August 17, on the recent agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize relations. Panelists include Meir Litvak, Tel Aviv University’s Chair of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History; Tamar Arieli, Tel Hai College senior lecturer, whose work focuses on border regions and local government development strategies; Uzi Rabi, director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies as well as a senior researcher at Tel Aviv Universitys Center for Iranian Studies; and Yossi Shain, head of Tel Aviv University’s School of Political Science, Government and International Affairs. To RSVP for the Zoom event, click here.
August 18 — The Jewish Community Foundation and the Jewish Women’s Foundation of San Diego co-sponsor a forum at 12 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 18, on the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, providing women with the right to vote. Speakers will include Tina Zarpour, Ph.D; Samantha Alberts; and Leilani Alontaga- Caithness, respectively the San Diego History Centers vice president of education and collections, manager of community learning, and collections specialist; and Dr. Melissa R. Klapper, Rowan University Director of Women’s and Gender Studies. Registration via this website.
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Political bytes
*Voice of San Diego reports that the the executive director of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Hasan Ikhrata has donated to the supervisorial campaign of Terra Lawson-Remer in apparent reaction to the fact that 3rd District incumbent Supervisor Kristin Gaspar, who sits on the SANDAG board, has been a vocal critic of Ikhrata’s proposed plan to build a European style transport system in San Diego rather than more highways.
*Marni von Wilpert, a candidate in the 5th District of the San Diego City Council, has been endorsed by John Lee Evans and Michelle O’Connor Ratcliff, respectively the board presidents of the San Diego Unified School District and the Poway Unified School District. Von Wilpert is in a runoff against Joe Leventhal for the seat from which Mark Kersey is retiring.
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Recommended reading
*Shoshana Bryen and Stephen Bryen report in Asia Times that Ben Gurion University has devised a low-tech solution — lasers — to shoot down kites, balloons, drones and other low-tech devices carrying incendiary devices from Gaza that are intended to start wildfires in Israel.
*Times of Israel reports that Iran and the Palestinian Authority reacted with fury to the announcement that Israel and the United Arab Emirates will normalize diplomatic relations.
*The Jewish community of Azerbaijan has appealed to American Jews to support Muslim-majority Azerbaijan in its international disputes with predominantly Christian Armenia, saying that Azerbaijan has been traditionally welcoming to Jews, whereas anti-Semitism is prevalent in Armenia. The appeal was published by the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
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