JIMENA Statement on Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum
November 20, 2020
JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa strongly supports the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) recommendations the California State Board of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) approved at its November 19th meeting.
Now the IQC will be handing the State Board of Education an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum draft that is balanced and inclusive, as legislators intended when passing AB 2016, the groundbreaking legislation that spurred the creation of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.
The IQC agreed with 10,000 individuals who joined JIMENA’s call to create a comprehensive Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum by including our lesson plan, “Antisemitism and Jewish Middle Eastern-Americans.” That lesson adds Jewish Americans from the Middle East, a large and vital part of California’s diverse ethnic composition, to our State’s new Ethnic Studies framework.
The inclusion of our lesson helps ensure that the curriculum does not replicate discriminatory hierarchies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). At least 60 percent of California’s diverse MENA population were in danger of being excluded from this curriculum, which is why JIMENA and other Middle Eastern groups advocated for the ESMC to accurately represent the rich and vibrant diversity of our state’s Middle Eastern ethnic minorities.
“We are so deeply grateful that the lived experiences of so many minorities, including American Jews from the Middle East, are one very important step closer to being taught in California’s classrooms,” JIMENA Executive Director Sarah Levin said.
JIMENA’s lesson plan and the lesson drafted by the Institute for Curriculum Services help fill a gap in content the State provides teachers — content on contemporary antisemitism — during the time of an unsettling and unprecedented rise in antisemitic acts in California and America. Jews, who comprise just 2 percent of the population, are the target of 60% of religious-based hate crimes according to 2019 FBI statistics.
We thank California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, IQC Executive Director Shanine Coats, and the members of the IQC for their strong leadership, hard work creating impactful curriculum, and standing tall against bigotry and hate. We are also grateful to our community and allies for advocating on our behalf.
Tags
- Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC)
- North Africa
- Middle East
- Education
- Cultural Heritage
- Government
- California
More Statements
Upholding Our Heritage in the Face of Continuing Threats
Dear Friends and Members of the Jimena Community, As Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews, we are all too familiar with attempts to erase our existence– from the Inquisition, to dhimmitude (the second-class status Jews held under Islamic rule for hundreds of years), to the mass expulsions of our communities in the mid-20th century– our history has, unfortunately, been colored by antisemitic threats and violence as an ethnic minority of the Middle East and North Africa. These efforts to erase our existence continue as we continue to bear witness to nearly daily direct attacks on Israel. As we watch the Islamic Republic of Iran and their proxies launch hundreds of rockets and drones, we understand these events are not isolated, but a continuation of the threat to Jewish life in the Middle East. Israel symbolizes not only the preservation of our rich and cherished history but also the triumph of reclaiming indigenous land. It stands as a beacon of strength and hope for all indigenous peoples of the MENA region who have faced subjugation and oppression under imperialism. We extend our hand in solidarity with the people of Iran, who know all too well the terror imposed by the Islamic Republic regime occupying their land. We understand that the regime’s actions do not reflect their own aspirations for freedom, liberty, and peace. This conflict is with the Islamic Republic, not the Iranian people, and we look forward to the day when they, along with us and the entire Middle East, are liberated from the regime’s despotism and chaos. In the face of threats by tyrannical rulers today, we stand steadfast in our identity as Jews, as Jews whose diasporic experience heralds from the Middle East and North Africa, and as Jews who support the existence of Jewish life in our ancestral homeland. Just as before, we will triumph over those who wish to destroy us, and we will continue to advocate for peaceful coexistence for all peoples in the region, so we may live our lives free from persecution, antisemitism, and hate. The People of Israel Live, today, tomorrow, and forever. Am Israel Chai. -The JIMENA team.
A Brief Guide to IHRA Definition of Antisemitism
An Introduction of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Definition of Antisemitism
IHRA Definition of Antisemitism
Antisemitic crimes remain the most prevalent religious-based hate crime in both the United States and California. They are increasing, now comprising 62% of all religious-based hate crimes in California, even though the Jewish community represents only 2% of the population. This is an increase of 24% from the previous year. Source Despite the scale of this issue, only about a quarter of the people in our nation are aware that antisemitism exists. Furthermore, a third of these individuals feel that antisemitism isn’t regarded as seriously as other forms of hate, despite its deadly consequences. Source Definition To counter antisemitism, it is essential to understand its definition. Consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of antisemitism, crafted by an apolitical group of world scholars, policy experts, and researchers: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, as well as Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Included are twelve examples, such as promoting negative or conspiratorial allegations about Jews, denying the Holocaust, and depriving the Jewish people of their right to self-determination—e.g., by asserting that the State of Israel is a racist endeavor. Source Endorsements The IHRA provides the most authoritative and internationally accepted definition of antisemitism. It has been championed and embraced by: - The United Nations Secretary-General, - The Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (consisting of 34 member countries, including the US), - The European Parliament, - The U.S. Department of State - The White House in its May 2023 National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, and - The California State Board of Education in its Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. The IHRA definition has been adopted in over 40 nations and by various representative religious bodies, including the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and the Global Imams Council. Three hundred and two members of the U.S. House of Representatives utilized the IHRA definition in the Never Again Education Act. This was co-sponsored by 45 Representatives from California, including Jackie Speier, Ro Khanna, Ted Lieu, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Anna Eshoo, and Adam Schiff.