Cast the first stone

For those that are blithely ignoring anything that is uncomfortable in local and national news, from the East Bay Times:

Two classroom windows at Temple Israel of Alameda on Bay Farm Island were broken sometime Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, according to synagogue leaders.

…

On Friday, Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) and Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-Marin and Sonoma counties) issued a statement, describing the vandalism as “alarming.”

“We were deeply troubled to learn Temple Israel in Alameda was the target of vandalism yesterday,” the lawmakers said. “This is even more alarming with the recent rise of anti-Semitic attacks throughout our country. We stand with the congregation and the people of Alameda. We hope that police find the vandals responsible for this destruction and bring them to justice.”

What was terrific was the outpouring of support from the community, much like what happened when any act of bias related vandalism happens in Alameda.   From Jweekly:

Members and clergy from several local congregations, Jewish and Christian, showed up Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. to show their support for the Temple Israel family. Representatives from other East Bay synagogues were there, including Temple Sinai and Congregation Beth Abraham in Oakland, Piedmont’s Kehilla and Congregation Beth Emek in Pleasanton, according to the Temple Israel website. Also present were Alameda elected officials, Oakland City Councilman Dan Kalb, and representatives from the JCC East Bay, the Anti-Defamation League, Union for Reform Judaism and the Jewish Community Relations Council.

…

The congregation cheered when Alameda’s acting police chief, Lance Leibnitz, announced the incident would be investigated as a hate crime, according to KTVU.

While this issue hopefully will come to a resolution, it appears that there are some unresolved incidents of anti-semitism that has arisen in the Alameda School District that has not yet been addressed to the satisfaction of at least one of the victims.  Also from J Weekly:

At the center of this conflict is Natasha, who, as detailed in a May 25 J. cover story and editorial,received a series of anonymous texts last January that taunted her for being Jewish and made threats about “gas” and “ethnic cleansing.” She discovered that a boy in her class, whom she thought was a friend, had sent the texts, egged on by a foreign exchange student. Eventually the first boy was made to apologize to her; her parents say the exchange student, who has since returned to his native Germany, never apologized and his parents weren’t even notified.

Later that same week, she and a friend overheard two other students joking about the Holocaust. One made the Hitler comment to her upon being confronted. Natasha’s parents then met with the school’s assistant principal and dean, but as outlined in ZOA letters to McPhetridge, felt appropriate action was not taken. (That dean has since left the school district.)

The ZOA letters also charge that these incidents are not isolated. Natasha reported to her parents and to school administrators other examples of students making anti-Semitic comments, of swastika graffiti found on desks and walls, and making jokes about the Holocaust, sometimes in front of teachers. Anti-Semitic incidents also were reported at other schools in the district, including Edison Elementary, as covered in J.

And:

In an hour-long interview in his office on Aug. 17, McPhetridge refuted the ZOA’s and family’s charges one by one. Yes, he’s spoken out publicly against anti-Semitism at board meetings and a PTA meeting — the family just isn’t viewing the videos. Yes, the offending students were punished — he just can’t say how, due to privacy laws. Yes, the high school commemorates the Holocaust — and a speaker will be provided next year; he thanked the ZOA for reaching out with suggestions.

And yes, the district takes anti-Semitism seriously, as it does with all bigotry — although it can always do better. “It cannot be just about anti-Semitism,” he told J. “ It has to be the rights of all people.”

I actually disagree with the Superintendent here.  While the rights of all people are important, when there is — what appears to be a pattern — of bias related incidents in a short period of time, it is necessary to call out anti-Semitism specifically.  Clearly, as a nation we have a bit of an issue with, well, Nazis, it might be time to have a district wide discussion about this topic.