If you go to work at a New York City school, one teacher says, you can wear a Black Lives Matter t-shirt — but you don’t dare wear a shirt that says “Proud Zionist” with the Israeli flag on it. there .
According to a report in Sunday’s New York Post, Jeffrey Levy – a teacher at MS 51 in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn – said he has been asked by the school’s principal not to wear a shirt in school, even though Black Lives Matter and feminist shirts have been approved by the school’s principals. others wear. staffs.
In the discrimination complaint filed by Levy, he said the principal Neal Singh told him that students and staff at the school had complained about the “Proud Zionist” shirt and the previous shirt.”Back the Blue“He was wearing a police T-shirt.
“Singh told me that my t-shirt with the Israeli flag and the words ‘Proud Zionist’ was ‘politically explosive,’” reads his complaint, which was filed next September 30. Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity at the New York City Department of Education.
“He told me that Zionism involved the recapture of Palestinian lands and was ‘insulting,’ the suit added.
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The Department for Education told the Post it supported the principal’s decision to ban “Proud Zionist” t-shirts.
NYC Teacher: School Bans Me From Wearing ‘Proud Zionist’ T-shirts But Allowing ‘BLM’ Outfits https://t.co/tffqHuApqz pic.twitter.com/YdYCj38s42
– New York Post Office (@nypost) November 15, 2021
“Schools are not a public forum to promote personal political views, and under Department of Education regulations, employees are prohibited from using schools for political purposes,” said a Department of Education spokesperson. Katie O’Hanlon said.
Is anti-Semitism a serious problem in NYC?
“This request by the principal follows complaints from students and staff and is consistent with policies surrounding political neutrality in schools.”
There is a question as to whether the shirts violate the city’s school regulations.
“School buildings are not a public forum for public purposes or political expression,” Chancellor’s Regulation D-130 reads.
“While on duty or in contact with students, school personnel may not wear buttons, pins, clothing, or any other item endorsing a candidate, candidate, candidate group, or organization political office/committee.”
Levy argues that “Pride Zionism” does not violate that, as it has nothing to do with political expression or support for a candidate – noting in his complaint Zionism Judaism is a religious movement that advocates the establishment and maintenance of the state of Israel.
However, he emphasized in his complaint that, in the political sphere, there is a clear double standard in the workplace at MS 51.
“Singh allowed other employees to dress up with ‘Black Lives Matter’, ‘Feminism is the radical idea that women are human’, ‘Feminism’ and [female Supreme Court justices] “O’Connor & Ginsburg & Sotomayor & Kagan,” his complaint.
“Singh’s definition of political explosive attire seems to be limited to Jews,” the teacher said.
“None of my clothes, actions or beliefs jeopardize the mental or physical safety of students or staff, which Singh has accused me of… I have acted professionally and at all times. respecting everyone’s beliefs while doing his job in a neutral and unbiased manner… His attempt to intimidate and intimidate me is anti-Semitic.”
Both Levy and the group Americans Against Anti-Semitism – led by a former state congressman Dov Hikind – give the Post pictures of some of the shirts worn by other teachers; Post’s articles include an article that reads “Feminist.”
In a video dedicated to anti-Semitism Americans, a video reads “Black lives are worth it too“Can also be seen.
JUDGMENT: NYC public school teacher’s job threatened for wearing Jewish t-shirts to school
The teachers there wear BLM and other political t-shirts, but only the Zionist is at stake!
I have not received a response to a request letter sent to @DOEChancellor https://t.co/asHVg4Q6f4 pic.twitter.com/6en9GMrlaf
– Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) November 15, 2021
“It is insulting. This is a disease. It was horrible. This is anti-Semitic,” Hikind told the Post of Levy’s treatment.
“Can’t you say that you are a proud Jew and support the people and State of Israel?”
Hikind, a Democrat, said the city’s Education Department is “representing the extreme left, the extreme wing of the Democratic Party” by having different standards for “Proud Zionist” t-shirts compared to “Proud Zionist” t-shirts. with the standard for “Black Lives Matter” T-Shirt.
“There should be one standard for all. But this is what is happening in our city,” said Hikind.
Indeed, this was one of the more regrettable problems of de Blasio’s years in New York City – with hate crimes against Jews up and the town hall has an unusually strong interest in breaking Orthodox Jewish community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is just a complaint at this point, but it’s certainly a completely credible complaint given the priorities of the city’s leadership.
After all, what is defined as a “political boom” runs only one path for the awakened – and support for Israel, unfortunately, a lot runs in that direction.
https://www.westernjournal.com/nyc-teacher-says-school-allows-blm-t-shirts-banned-wearing/ | NYC teacher says school allows BLM t-shirt but forbids him to wear this