Last week, as I entered my classroom to prepare to teach while my students were finishing their hand-washing, I overheard them debating the election. Our students were talking about topics like taxes, fracking, universal health care, Russian interference, and the intelligence of our presidential candidates. There is no doubt that for many of our students, the election is on their mind.
At the Canadian Jewish Day School I attended in Toronto, Canadian politics were not top of mind or of concern in our community. In fact, even when the province of Quebec was voting on a referendum to secede from the rest of the country, I don’t remember our teachers or parent body overly worried or anxious about the results. What was of concern to our community was the political reality in Israel. In the early 90’s I remember my teachers and peers fervently talking about the Oslo Accords and the Peace Process. I recall some of my teachers being quite critical of the release of Palestinian prisoners and the idea of exchanging land for peace. I was so impacted by the conversations that my submission for the city-wide day school Hebrew creative writing competition was a fictional story about a boy who wrote letters to Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat asking them to prioritize peace.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, who led the Israeli peace efforts, was assassinated by a Jewish extremist on Saturday night, November 4th, 1995. Monday morning of that week was one of the most vivid memories of my elementary school experience. My teacher, Geveret (“Mrs.” in Hebrew) Dror, sat us down and explained to us what had happened and the significance of the moment in which we found ourselves. I remember her speaking about the dangers of extremism and about the importance of putting aside political differences for peace. This week is the 25th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin’s assasination. The time leading up to the assasination marks one of the darkest times in the history of the State of Israel. The entire nation was pitted against each other and extremist groups incited hatred against leaders and political factions in the country.
This week we also find ourselves on the precipice of perhaps one of the most significant elections in recent history. Our country has endured a summer of protests and violence. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to hundreds of thousands of lives lost and economic devastation. The virus has highlighted the polarization of views and political opinions that exist in our country. Segments of our country are more divided than ever. There is distrust in the election process and a general lack of faith in the state of our democracy.
In Israel, the anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin’s assasination comes with a yearly plea from leaders in the country for civility, tolerance, and understanding. I can’t help but extend that plea to the United States this week. First and foremost, we hope for a peaceful election and a return to civil discourse in a year that has been defined by polarization. But beyond that, I want to ask that we be aware of how we navigate this election and turbulent time for our children.
Our students and children are watching us this week. They are absorbing how we internalize the news, how we talk about our political leaders and how we talk about others with whom we don’t agree. If we celebrate this week, they will learn how to celebrate from us. If we grieve, they will learn how to grieve from us. If we belittle others in our country, they will learn how to belittle others. If we wish ill of others, they will learn how to wish ill from us.
At Wornick, we want more than anything to graduate value-driven leaders who know who they are and who use their strong identity to better the world around them. No matter what happens, most of our students will remember this election and they will remember this week. In this moment, let’s remember that we are all teachers. Let’s teach our children about our beliefs and our values and not limit our conversations to a simple explanation of liking or not liking a particular outcome or candidate. Let’s teach our children about unity and understanding.
L’shalom,
Adam