Dear Superintendents, Administrators and Principals:
As we are sure you are aware, Israel was attacked this weekend by thousands of Hamas terrorists, resulting in the brutal murder of over 1,200 Israelis, and the kidnapping of 150 individuals, including infants, children, teenagers and the elderly, who are now being held hostage. These events have resulted in a full-scale war between Israel and the Hamas regime.
We are writing to you to make sure you are aware of the trauma that your Jewish and/or Israeli students may be experiencing as a result of these horrific events. The Greater Portland metro area is home to Jewish and/or Israeli families with family and other loved ones in Israel. These include many children in our schools. Although each child, depending on his or her age, may not be fully aware of the atrocities in Israel at this moment, too many are sadly all too aware. Social media has been flooded with graphic videos of murders, abductions and other acts of violence and destruction, with children as victims.
These horrors will be weighing on our community members heavily for the foreseeable future. We ask that culturally sensitive trauma-Informed care be made available to any Jewish students that need such attention.
We strongly encourage you to share this information and resources with your principals, guidance counselors and mental health professionals. We are counting on the support of the faculty and staff to guide and support our children as they process the reality of war and mourn lost loved ones.
SUPPORT SUGGESTIONS AND RESOURCES:
Responding to antisemitism in the schools:
Who to contact in Portland
“Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event" which can be found Here in English.
For those of you with Israeli families, a Hebrew-speaking guide is Here.
ADL’s guide on having family conversations about difficult topics: https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/table-talk
For Jewish parents struggling with how to talk to their children about what is happening in Israel, here is a guide broken down by ages: https://www.kveller.com/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-whats-happening-in-israel-right-now/
Finally, given the intense emotional nature of this issue and its potential to be inflammatory, we urge you to be prepared for conflicting narratives. During past conflicts in Israel, Jewish and Israeli students have been targeted for bullying and hate. We encourage you to have your staff keep an eye out for any potentially discriminatory or violent situations. Please maintain vigilance in ensuring all students have a safe environment to learn, regardless of religion, ethnic or national origin.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for additional resources and assistance in navigating
these conversations.