Schools urged to beware antisemitic, Islamophobic behaviour

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This article was published 17/10/2023 (732 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg is dispatching Holocaust education experts to city classrooms that have grappled with antisemitism in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Israel and that county’s counterattacks in Gaza.

At the same time, Manitoba’s Palestinian community is warning families are becoming increasingly scared for their safety and want schools to step up as anecdotes of Islamophobic surge during the Israel-Hamas war.

“For a lot of people that I’ve been talking to — Muslims, Arabs, Pakistanis, East Indians — this is 9/11 all over again,” said Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba.

Emotions have been high in both ethnocultural communities in Winnipeg since the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza directed gunmen to cross the border into Israel, killing residents and taking others hostage Oct. 7 (Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah).

Local Israelis and Palestinians have held vigils to pray for those in captivity and mourn innocent civilians injured and killed in the conflict. The conflict’s death toll has surpassed 4,000 (roughly 1,400 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians).

Following the first weekend of bloodshed, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg sent letters to education leaders, urging them to publicly renew commitments to creating safe campuses, increase security and “be extra vigilant” in monitoring student and staff well-being.

Chief executive officer Jeff Lieberman cited concerns about misinformation and antisemitic comments being made on social media.

“We know that online hate tends to spill into the offline world and there is a genuine concern that student and teacher safety can be compromised,” Lieberman wrote Oct. 9 to school superintendents and university administrators.

He recommended managers undertake outreach to ensure Jewish community members were familiar with resources at their disposal and aware of their school’s hate-motivated incident reporting protocols.

On Oct. 13, police were proactively stationed at Gray Academy of Jewish Education and Brock Corydon School — the city’s only public school with a Hebrew bilingual program — due to a former Hamas leader’s calls for an international “day of rage.”

When reached by phone Tuesday, Lieberman said he has been made aware of several antisemitic incidents in recent days, but declined to provide details in order to dissuade copycat behaviour and protect student and staff privacy.

Lieberman noted the federation has received multiple related requests from teachers seeking out speakers to educate students on the history of the Holocaust and antisemitism at-large.

“We are pushing to get Holocaust education mandated — right now, it’s optional, not mandatory — because we’re seeing the rise of Jew hatred skyrocketing,” said Kelly Hiebert, a history teacher in Winnipeg who has been fielding calls from colleagues since Oct. 7 attacks.

Hiebert, who is not Jewish but is an established Holocaust educator, said some are uncomfortable delivering lessons on such a sensitive topic because of their limited understanding, so more professional development is necessary.

In recent days, Manitoba school divisions have sent home generic letters and made social media posts acknowledging the tense conflict and its local implications.

Pembina Trails and River East Transcona are among those that have recommended adults support children affected by recent events by “modelling calm,” validating emotional reactions and limiting exposure to graphic images and descriptions.

The Seven Oaks Jewish Educator Team wrote an emotional letter defending Israel’s existence and calling for peace in the Middle East.

One high school teacher in the division, who asked their name be withheld for fear of retribution at work, expressed concerns materials distributed to staff have been “one-sided” and disregarded the suffering experienced by Muslim students and staff.

“If you go to the school division and you say anything now about this, you’re antisemitic… There’s a real fear of antisemitism, but I think the fear of violent Islamophobia is real, too,” the teacher said.

Zeid, a leader in Winnipeg’s Palestinian community, echoed those concerns on a city-wide scale.

“(Schools) did a lot to protect Israeli and Jewish students, which is fine — all students should be protected, but I think what they needed to do was think about all students. There’s a lot of Muslim students,” Zeid said, adding he’s been keeping busy attempting to calm parents.

Seven Oaks’ initial communication focused on the shock and fear people experienced from the Hamas terrorist attack, superintendent Brian O’Leary said in an email.

O’Leary said the board office sent out a more comprehensive resource Tuesday afternoon to acknowledge the deepening conflict.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh
Education reporter

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.

Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.

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