Jim Poznak [Don’t claim to speak for everyone, Viewpoints,July 24] is the latest person to use the term “As a Jew” as a key phrase in a letter to the editor. In his letter, he uses the phrase to diminish the claims of alleged anti-Jewish behavior at Oak Park and River Forest High School. He uses his status as a Jew to make his feelings more important than the actual experiences of a group of Jewish students, their parents, and supporters.
Their experiences are the latest in a decades-long history of anti-Jewish behavior at OPRF directed at Jewish students and faculty.
This was forcefully reinforced by a Chicago Tribune/Oak Leaves article (https://tinyurl.com/yxpycfe9) reporting on the resignation of a longtime History teacher and former student, citing rampant antisemitism, and the failure of OPRF to meaningfully respond.
OPRF Superintendent Johnson is quoted in the article as saying, “We will continue to work hard in both visible and invisible ways to support our Jewish students and faculty members.” To me, this is a tacit admission of the problems at the high school. But it is also a cop out. Can the District 200 administration and school board be held accountable for the effectiveness of its actions if they are “invisible”? Of course they can, but only if the problems are, as Mr. Poznak implies, nonexistent.
Let me remind the readers of this newspaper that antisemites do not care whether you are this Jew, or that Jew. Whether you are an atheist or ultra-observant. Whether you wear a kippah or not. Whether you are European or Moroccan, Ethiopian or South American. Whether you live in Israel or in the Diaspora.
In fact, as David Nirenberg wrote in his book Anti-Judaism, hatred of Jews sometimes flourished after societies rid themselves of their Jews. When there are no more Jews around, feed the hunger for hate by accusing non-Jews of so-called “Jewish” behaviors.
Alan Peres
Oak Park