The Jewish Federations of North America, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), AJC (American Jewish Committee), the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Prizmah are appalled that a planned professional development trip of early childhood educators affiliated with Jewish institutions to the Reggio Children, Loris Malaguzzi International Center in Reggio Emilia, Italy was met with political litmus tests and antisemitic rhetoric.
Announcement of a trip to the Center by educators affiliated with Jewish institutions and by Israeli educators was met with protests and antisemitic rhetoric. There was also indication that several participants’ social media profiles were being searched for connections with Israel or the Israel Defense Force or support for Israeli policies. The response by Reggio Children was not to decry the protests but to issue a pledge educators could sign renouncing Israeli policies and military action.
There is no circumstance in which educators at Jewish institutions should be singled out for their personal views, social media or online profiles in an effort to identify connections to a country of deep religious, cultural, historic, and personal significance to Jewish people worldwide. Further, to use those connections against them is alarming and antisemitic. It must be recognized as such - not legitimized with political litmus tests.
This distressing incident continues a pattern of isolating Jews and Jewish institutions, limiting cultural exchange, learning and understanding, and suggesting that our full participation in civic spaces is contingent on our renouncing the State of Israel, the only Jewish state in the world seen for many Jews as the only clear refuge we have in the face of antisemitic violence. Bringing this trend into educational environments - into early childhood no less - is deeply disturbing.
In the days since the trip cancellation, trip organizers have been in ongoing conversation with Reggio Children and the municipality. We recognize that the mayor of Reggio Emilia has clarified that a signature was not required and has renounced political or religious litmus tests. We are similarly aware that a group of Israeli educators both refused to sign the statement and insisted on attending the event nonetheless, and reported warm treatment and appropriate security. Reggio Children has demonstrated that it now understands that Jewish delegations need clear security in the face of threats or protests, and they are in dialogue over the harms of the statement. Yet at the same time, the mayor continues to reaffirm the value of that very statement, and while direct references to Gaza were removed it remains an incongruous political affirmation denouncing “genocide,” a contextually clear and inaccurate reference to Israeli policy, on an organization devoted to early childhood education. This is insufficient.
We call on Reggio Children to issue an unambiguous public apology that acknowledges the antisemitism Jewish educators experienced, and to take concrete steps to ensure that educators of all backgrounds are welcomed, respected, and treated equally, regardless of their religious identity or historical ties to any country. A genuine commitment to inclusivity, including the safety and security of participants, must be reflected not only in words, but in actions.
True educational exchange cannot occur under the shadow of political policing. To that end, we call for the Charter for Democratic and Participatory Education to ensure that when it calls out injustice against children, it does so in a way that does not exclusively single out Israel or Israeli policy, in content or substance, and does not specifically target Jews around the world. Indeed, any such language should reflect a commitment to justice for ALL children – including Israeli and Jewish children.
At a time when Jewish organizations and individuals are the targets of hate crimes and bias incidents, and especially in a week when four Jewish schools in the U.S. were threatened with bombs, the institutions dedicated to nurturing, inspiring, and educating those children must focus on their growth and wellbeing - without fear for their security and without needing to hide their identity.
We will continue to stand alongside our educators and support their access to training, professional development, and educational exchanges that help them strengthen their work with children and families and we will continue to ensure that Jewish children and the institutions and educators supporting them have opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive.