Founder of ‘Mayors Against Antisemitism’ fails to support Family Victimized by Antisemitic Retaliation

Newton, MA – The parent of a student subject to illegal, antisemitic retaliation by the Newton (MA) Public Schools (“NPS”) is speaking out about the rejection of her pleas to city officials and Jewish agencies to take action to keep her family safe.

According to state officials, the NPS and School Committee Chair Matthew Hills illegally retaliated against the student giving by a confidential letter from her student record to a newspaper and blog, which published confidential information from the letter as well as false and defamatory claims against the child’s parent.

The retaliation took place after biased material was removed at the parent’s instigation and two days after full-page advertisements criticizing the NPS, Superintendent David Fleishman, and Hills for allowing anti-Israel texts were published in Boston newspapers.

Mayor Setti Warren. Photo: KATHERINE TAYLOR FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

The newspaper Newton Tab and blog village14 both published the confidential information. Village14 also published student’s name and address. Both falsely claimed that the parent belonged to the organization that published the advertisements, Americans for Peace and Tolerance (“APT”), which has been described as “incredibly racist and unfair” by U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, and as ‘anti-Islam’.

Both the parent and the organization that published the ads say she was not involved with either the organization or the ads. The parent has asked that her name be kept confidential.

The student’s family had been threatened by an anti-Israel activist and told by police not to allow their personal information to be published. The publication of their child’s name and address directly countered police advice and placed their children at risk.

Both the Tab and village14 refused to remove the confidential information even after the ruling that it was illegally obtained. Newton officials refused to help, even though the city was responsible for illegally transmitting the confidential letter for publication.

Neither Hills nor anyone else has been sanctioned for the illegal acts.

Retaliation by school officials has been an ongoing concern in Newton. Parents have spoken at School Committee meetings and read a statement about the fear of retaliation at a ‘community discussion’ about racism in city schools.

The Anti-Defamation League (“ADL”) rejected requests for assistance, including a request that the agency acknowledge that retaliating against a Jewish child for her parent’s objection to anti-Israel material constitutes antisemitism.

The ADL’s advice to the family was to ‘find a lawyer’. The family says that filing suit against the media and/or the city to remove the confidential information could cost up to $100,000.00 or more, which they do not have.

They would like the ADL or another agency to help them find an attorney who will take the matter on a contingency fee, deferred payment, or reduced fee basis.

The family has applied for assistance to over twenty Jewish and civil rights organizations and contacted over fifty attorneys without success.

The ADL and other Boston area Jewish agencies have consistently denied that any anti-Israel material exists in Newton schools, even though reputable organizations including the Committee on Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (“CAMERA”) and Verity Educate have issued reports showing that such material is assigned to students as ‘fact’.

Other Boston area Jewish communal agencies have followed suit.

Neither the School Committee nor Newton Mayor Setti Warren have responded to the family’s concerns.

Warren has been lauded by the American Jewish Committee (“AJC”) for his participation in their “Mayors Against Antisemitism” campaign. An AJC press release states that Warren “conceived the initiative”.

“The U.S. Jewish community is the wealthiest in the world”, said the parent. “Why is it turning its back on a Jewish child harmed by illegal and dangerous retaliation from people who are supposed to be keeping her safe?”

EDITORS NOTE: For more information, contact Evan Jacobi at NewtonExcellence@gmail.com

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