July 15, 2025 • 36 mins
While overall violent crime in MA is down, antisemitic hate crimes have risen by 20% in the last year. Recently the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism came out with a report on their findings and recommendations when it comes to K-12 education in the state. The Commission found antisemitism in Massachusetts K-12 public schools to be a “pervasive and escalating problem, with a large number of reported incidents of hate, bullying, harassment and discrimination experienced by families and teachers”. Brookline School Committee member Dr. Jesse Hefter joined Dan to discuss the importance of educating kids about the existence of antisemitism and getting ahead of it!
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Bridie Watkins, thank you very much. We here on Nightside
often talk about the revival, if you will, of anti Semitism.
It's something that most of us, I think, who grew
up post World War Two and understood what had happened
(00:29):
in Europe in World War two and some of which
had happened in this country. There were Nazi bond meetings
in this country in the nineteen thirties, big rallies at
places like Madison Square Garden, which again seem inconceivable, unimaginable. However,
they did occur, and there has been a resurgence of
(00:52):
anti Semitism across this country over the last I'm going
to guess ten, twelve, maybe fifteen years. And I'm delighted
to be joined tonight by a member of the school
committee in Brookline, Massachusetts, doctor Jesse Hefter. Doctor Hefter, thanks
for joining us tonight, because you and the Brookline School
(01:15):
Committee have shown a great deal of leadership on this
issue to get school committees around the state to join
you and be ahead of the curve and anticipate, as
opposed to simply react to incidents of anti Semitism. Welcome
(01:36):
to night side, doctor Hefter.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Thank you, Dan, it's a pleasure to be here, and you,
being one of my heroes in terms of your thought leadership,
it's an honor to.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Be with you this even well, thank you very much
all of us. Of course, remember what happened half a
world away in Israel on October seventh. But in the
wake of that, we saw an uptick in anti what
I considered to be anti Semitism.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Here in.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
The town, in the city of Newton, there were posters
of hostages which were defaced clearly you know, anti Semitic activity.
There was a woman who at one of the high
end malls the street in Chestnut Hill was pulling down
(02:31):
individual photographs of the hostages so as opposed to rallying
against this. That horrific event that half the world away
on October seventh, twenty twenty three, seemed to reignite some
latent anti Semitism in some individuals. I was stunned by that.
(02:55):
I suspect you're going to tell me that it almost
was expected. Why was Why would that you would think
the normal reaction would have been empathy with the people
who had been slaughtered by terrorists, but it didn't quite
work that way.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
There is a thank you for bringing this again to
the forefront. It's an extremely serious situation, and I think
what we're facing as a society is the result of
an ideological shift that unfortunately looks at the world too
(03:34):
often in a sense, in a binary kind of view,
the classic oppress or oppressed kind of narrative. It's been
flipped in anti Semitism to say that anytime the Jewish
people are not discriminated against and not bullied and not
arrassed and not singled out from being killed just for
(04:00):
being Jews, that somehow, if they're able to show senses
of strength, that somehow anyone that they're showing strength against
becomes the victim. And it's an insidious.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Kind of myth. Really. That is another form.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Of anti Semitism, That is to say, even though anti Semitism,
you know, over the last two thousand years is an
open hatred towards Jewish people for all different kinds of reasons,
dan in today's world, as soon as the Jews are
able to protect.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Themselves, defend themselves in their.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
One country in the world, somehow they are the oppressors
and in their quest too, in the particular case that
you brought up in terms of the Israel Gaza conflict,
in their quest and return innocent civilians home, men, women,
children that from all different nationalities, they've had to work
(04:59):
very very hard. They've had to fight very very hard,
and lose a lot of people along the way, from
from their from the from the army, and and and
to take a tremendous, tremendous amount of world criticism, both
from our United Nations as well as from many countries.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Around the world.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And meanwhile, you know, sort of the Israel soldiers on
literally because we want to bring our citizens back. And
at the same time, there's been a campaign.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
I would say, of as we know, of sort.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Of misinformation and disinformation about the conflict that tends to
portray uh the unfortunate bystanders as the victims of a
plot to somehow rid the world of of of the
residents of Gaza, which of course is a misinformation, a myth.
(05:52):
And so as a result, Israel's put in a very
difficult situation as it's trying to its people home, and
that has caught somehow the fancy of a generation of people,
both people who perhaps were more let's say, fine with
(06:13):
the Jewish people around them, but somehow got activated when
after October seventh and the media portrayed the situation and
the way that it has and among amongst our young people,
it became sort of a cause. And I think that
led to, you know, people who are not you know,
fully educated in this area find it very comfortable to
(06:35):
be able to align with this kind of sort of
protest against what's what's going on as a sort of
a civil rights issu're leaving out or human rights issu're
leaving out. The incident that actually set it off was
it which why, as you say, was a horrific and.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
You know, in humane attack on innocent people.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Now, all of this from October of twenty twenty three
to tonight, there have been peaks and valleys, ups and downs.
And one of the controversies that landed at the Brookline
School Committee was this effort by the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
(07:20):
Their executive committee actually had a password protected set of
online educational resources. And I'm quoting here from an article
in the Jewish Journal for quote learning about the history
and current events in Israel and Occupied Palestine for MTA
(07:41):
members to use with each other and their students unquote. Now,
it was very difficult to find out what was in
this password protected set of online educational resources. But the
school committees of not only Brookline but of other communities
(08:01):
have raised concerns about this because obviously these password protected
online materials. Why were they password protected? Why were they
not made available for everyone to look at before teachers
could rely upon them as as you know, factual documents.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
I'm not a member of the m t A.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I can't comment as to why it wasn't made freely
available on the open Internet. My guess would be that
curricular resources that are curated and disseminated by the organization
at the MTA are benefits that you get as you're
a member of the union, and so as a result,
it's possible, again this is conjecture on my part, that
(08:49):
it's possible that they remained behind the members only sort
of pay well, but only for members, so that it's
not just like any other curricular materials that may or
may not be behind their paywall.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
They kept it to members only.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
But some of the documents and some of the curricula
were released and caused concern and I know what caused
concern amongst amongst school committee members in Brookline and elsewhere,
and that's what I want to talk about. I want
to get it to the next stage of the action
(09:26):
that the Brookline School Committee took. It was not unanimous,
and you're not here speaking on behalf of the Brookline
School Committee. You're speaking as a member of the Brookline
School Committee, one of the nine members. You were in
the majority of this. It was quite embarrassing to the
mass Teachers Association they were hearings at the State House.
(09:47):
But the point that I want to make tonight for
people to understand is that there have been some other
school committees in communities here in Massachusett who have looked
at the resolution that Brookline School Committee passed and now
have thought that this would be a good idea for
(10:10):
their communities as well. And I want to talk to
you about that. And I also want to invite people
to call because there's so much of this stuff that
leaks its way into classrooms and into schools. We're not
talking about colleges here. We're not in any way, shape
or form referencing what's going on or not going on
(10:32):
on college campuses. We're talking about high schools, in.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Massachusetts and twelve actually.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
K through twelve okay, yeah, yeah, okay, it's to me,
it's absolutely ridiculous to think that anything like this is
being taught in an elementary school. Because the time in
elementary school is so precious. It should be dealt with
the fundamentals, the building blocks of a child's education. They
don't have to know about what is going on in
(11:00):
world history or world conflict in the third and fourth
grade in my or even younger. But so this would
be K through twelve, Yeah, which is even I think worse.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Well, it's available, it's available to teachers in K twelve.
I'm not suggesting, nor maybe the MTA that this be
utilized in a kindergarten classroom with the resources were there
to support teachers. And what teachers who were members of
the MTA found is that when they downloaded and looked
at it, they were horrified. And eventually, to your earlier point,
they made that material available, for example, to the Governor's
(11:33):
Special Commission on Combating Anti Semitism.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
So that it could be looked at and that opened
it up to the public.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Right and again, the fact that it was pastord protected
initially certainly would have raised mind. You're kinder than I
am to.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
The Okay, thank you gods who.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Take a break. My guest is a member of the Brookline,
Massachusetts School Committee, doctor Jesse Hefter.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
He serves as a member of that elected board, nine
member board. But they passed a resolution. We'll talk about
that resolution and talk about what other communities are doing
following in their footsteps. And if you want to comment
one way or the other, you know, keep it, keep
it polite, keep it conversational. Six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty or six one seven, nine three one
(12:23):
ten thirty. Were coming right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
My guest is doctor Jesse Hefter, member of the school
committee in Brookline. And by the way, just to be
clear on this Brookline, although as I understand that half
of the students in the Brookline public schools are Jewish,
there have been incidents of anti semitism in Brookline itself.
(12:51):
Give us a couple of examples of that, because again
it's I don't want to publicize these, but I want
people to realize we are talking about something that we
need to be concerned about, not something that is, it's
an imagined transgression.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Right, So I'm within Brookline, Dan.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
The most recent incident, unfortunately, was a large window at
the front of the koshert supermarket on Harvard Street in
Brookline was actually smashed by vandals in the darkest night
with a brick. Brick was thrown through the window and
when police arrived they found that lettered and red on
(13:30):
the brick were two words free Palestine.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
This was a scene.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
I have not seen any anyone taken into custody as
a result of that. Did I miss?
Speaker 5 (13:41):
That is correct?
Speaker 3 (13:41):
There is video the men were the individuals were masked
and in dark clothing and it was late in the
middle of the middle of the night, and so yeah,
I don't believe that there's been any apprehension.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
But also really Gal, yes there were.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Within the school system is well.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Yes, there have been non occasion in the first you know,
it's a three year term on the Brookline School Committee.
I'm just starting my second term. So in my first term, yeah,
we were seeing several incidents of a discrimination. And I
want to point out that obviously there's no real detail
(14:23):
that I can provide the public about those if they
haven't been publicized by the people who were actually affected. However,
we worked hard, I mean the school system, we're hard
to address these to try to come to an understanding
of why these incidents happened and what education and training
(14:43):
can be done amongst the staff in order to help
students from if the student was was at fault or
any other individual, to try to get in underneath why
it happened and what we can do as a school
community to ensure that all students are treated in a
nondiscriminatory and non harassed method you know mode, and when
(15:06):
they're in within when when at all times, but certainly
when they're within the school.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Let me ask you this, if some student does something stupid,
you know, write something on the wall, puts us some
sign in the bathroom or whatever, and you folks figure
out who the student was, are there any programs to
try to help that student understand the ignorance of his
or her actions.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
So in the district has worked hard to ensure that
staff work with the student as well as potentially even
that class to do some education, because I think awareness
and education amongst our kids is very important to address
(15:51):
this situation. Sometimes, as you say, kids thinks it's a
stupid thing. So whether it's a symbol of some type,
whether it's a physical gesture, all these can be interpreted
by our American Jewish students within our system, and we
have a large cohort of Israeli American students as well
(16:12):
within the public as of Bookline. And so we want
to ensure that whenever any kind of symbol or gesture, behavior, words,
non non verbal communication affects someone else in a way
that makes them uncomfortable, that we address it.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
We have policies about it.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
And yet we unfortunately, yes, had some incidents and have
been working hard to address them through you know, through
through time the response and through education.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Good so very quickly, and I've got a minute or
so left here, but uh and I do want to
get to phone calls on the on the other side
of the news. There have been other communities that have
followed Brooklines lead, and again I view this as being
proactive as as opposed to being reactive.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Yes, this is like it's become sort of like a
grassroots advocacy movements. And well, you know, a journalist whom
I not said, you know, when you do one or
two cities and towns that's sort of okay. When you
get the three or four, it's already moving along a
little bit. And so I'm happy to share with you
that after you know, I wrote the resolution and we
(17:24):
passed it in Brookline. It quickly passed in Marblehead, where
there's been a history of issues since October seventh and before.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
And so it's really raised the.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Hopes and spirits of a lot of teachers and family
members in that community. Then it then moved its way
to Bedford, where it was passed through some local activism
and some work with the school committee there and most
recently in the town of Natick, and it's being reviewed
now in five or six other cities and towns, and
we're working hard to get the message out across the
(17:58):
entire Commonwealth to particularly DAN support those school districts amongst
our three hundred and fifty odd districts in the state,
who may not have the Jewish community advocacy, who may
not have a way to a place to turn to
say are these materials something I need to be worried about?
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Or is this okay?
Speaker 3 (18:16):
And so the resolution basically cautions teachers and it says, look,
think twice before you use this because there's definite anti
Semitic stuff in there, and that we want you to
be careful about it. And know that other cities and
towns have raised their voices through their school boards to
say this is not okay and if you need support,
(18:38):
here are cities and towns because the media is picking
up on it now to say, look, we can help you,
and we can guide you. We have a new school
year starting in six seven weeks and we're there to help.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
On the local level.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Last question before the break, and I'm looking for a
good direct answer to this one. Yea, with all the
content ever seed it swirled around these materials, okay, has
the MTA, the Mass Teachers Association ever said, gee, maybe
it wasn't a good idea to make these materials available,
(19:12):
Maybe it wasn't a good idea to make any materials available,
and has decided to withdraw the materials or are they
still out and about and available?
Speaker 5 (19:23):
All right?
Speaker 4 (19:25):
I am not an empty member.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
As I mentioned earlier, I don't have access what.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
I've been told.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
What I've been told is that the most egregious hyperlinks
that take you to sites that show extreme anti semitic posters,
flags propaganda kind of literature. Several of those sites were
removed after the February twenty three hearing with the Governor's
Special Submission on Combating Anti Semitism, when it was exposed
to the.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Public and made it into the media.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
However, there's a large amount of material that is still
there to my knowledge as of very recently, that is
not the most objectionable, but but portrays a very biased
and not an unnuanced or unbalanced view of Israel. And
so it remains, as far as I know, to this
(20:11):
every day.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Okay, and they and and.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Yes, they have not been willing to discuss with teachers
and other organization, even their members and other organizations about
the impact that this has ever.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Okay, Uh, my guest, I'm delighted to have with us
a Brookline School Committee member, doctor Jesse Hefter, who has
been a leader on this issue. He is not speaking
on behalf of the school committee. However, the School Committee
did vote by a margin of six to three to
adopt this resolution, uh, and characterize what they perceive as
(20:47):
a pervasive and escalating problem with a large number of
reported incidents of hate, bullying, harassment, and discrimination experienced by
families and teachers and again that is Brookline. We're going
to go to phone calls six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one seven, nine, three one ten thirty.
I think that anyone who is a thinking person needs
(21:10):
to understand that anti Semitism has a long and a
horrible history. Uh. And just as in the wake of
World War Two people said never again, and they were
commitments of never again, I think that somehow people become
numb to it, their time passes, and people forget. Uh.
(21:33):
And part of my job, in my view, is to
not allow people to forget. And that's why we're talking
about it tonight. And if you want to support the conversation,
feel free. If you want to ask a question, feel free.
And if you want to present a different point of
view as always, feel free. Six one, seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty.
Back right after the news break here on Nightside with
(21:55):
Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's News Radio, ten thirty on
your AM dial.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Night Side with Dan Ray on w BZ Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
My guest is doctor Jesse Hefter. He is a member
of the Brookline School Committee, and we're going to go
to phone calls right away, and feel free to jump
on board if you would like. I do have a
couple of open lines, one at six one seven, two
five four, ten thirty and one at six one seven
nine thirty. Let me go to Lisa in Brookline. Lisa,
you first this hour on Nightside. Welcome to Nightside, Lisa.
(22:29):
How are you tonight?
Speaker 6 (22:30):
I'm very well, Thank you, and thank you for taking
my call, and thank you for covering this topic. What
I'd like to ask is this anti semitism is so
pervasive and subtle sometimes too. For instance, just this past week,
Senator Secretary of State Marco Rubio sanctioned the UN Special
(22:57):
Rapperteur Francesca Albernize for anti semitism. Now, she is in
a very important position, she had been in this position
for a very long time and has loss of support.
And the UN is considered a prestigious organization and yet
it is rice with anti semitism. So how could you
(23:20):
empower teachers to discuss.
Speaker 7 (23:22):
This when it's going against how people view the UN,
which is thought of as an organization that promotes peace. Okay,
thank you very.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Much, so we'll stay right there. That's a complicated question. First,
of all, the UN is made up of a lot
of countries around the world. They're not all Western democracies,
and many of them are problematic. Who did Secretar or
State Rubio center? I missed that when you explained that, Lisa.
Speaker 6 (23:56):
Yes, so that's her name is Francesca Albernize. She's special
rapporteur to the Palestinians.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
And why did he cens her job?
Speaker 6 (24:09):
I think yes, her job is to is to report
the u N about the situation of the Palestinians.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Okay, but I don't assume that Rubio censured her for
having that position.
Speaker 6 (24:26):
Uh No, he sanctioned her because she's an out and
out anti Summit who was a chieesd Issabel's genocide countless time.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Okay, all right, let's get doctor Helferd to respond to that,
although it might be a little bit beyond his purview, Doctor.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Helfer, Yeah, thank you, Thank you Dan, and thank you Lisa.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
A few days ago, last week, CNN did report this
that the US was opposing sanctions against a senior UN
official who focuses heavily on the human rights of Palestinians.
That's what Secretary of State Ruvio announced, and he was
imposing this Dan because she is the UN Special Rapperteur
(25:07):
on Human Rights in the Palestinian territories, but quote for
her illegitimate and shameful efforts to corrupt international criminal court
actions against the US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
So this is a as.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
I mentioned I think earlier in our intro discussion, Dan,
there are attacks made against the Jewish people in the
State of Israel from all sides and at all times.
That's part of what's so pernicious of an anti Semitism,
and in this case, the US Secretary of State called
it out.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
The UN is.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
Thought about being a peaceful organization.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
You're one hundred percent right that it's over one hundred
and fifty member countries are at least on paper, aimed
at and trying to bring a peace across the world.
But let's just remember the facts. In nineteen forty eight,
the UN created Israel through the Partition Plan, the Arab
communities around immediately attacked Israel to exterminate all the Jews
(26:05):
who were living there. And forty years later nineteen sixty,
so twenty years later, just a mere few decades later,
through resolutions, the UN called Zionism racism, and so there
are and this was under the influence of a larger
percentage of majority of countries who as becoming new members
of the UN, as you mentioned, over times, as population
(26:26):
grew through political direction, took a very negative view about
Israel just twenty years later. So there are significant pressures,
and I think the Secretary of Stage should be commended
for calling these out a lot of times.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
And people are reluctant and to mention these.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Kinds of anti Semitism acts because people feel they'll be retaliation,
They feel uncomfortable. It's sort of this classic stereotype that
you're saying, you know, like for a disease, maybe it'll
go away, but this doesn't go away, you know. Judeophobia
or hate of the Jewish peace people, as you say,
goes back millennia and it forms all different.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
Kinds of ways.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
And it's to the secular State's credit that he took
action when when something blatantly anti Semitic was uh, what
was brought to their attention.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
All right, Lisa, thank you for bringing that up. I
had missed that. It's you know, again, I'm unfamiliar with
her work, so therefore I would withhold comment. I was
fascinated by the word that you were using. She she
was characterized as a reporter or was that the word
(27:38):
you were using? I missed it.
Speaker 8 (27:40):
She's apteur a rack contour.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Is that the word rack onteur?
Speaker 8 (27:46):
That means a story position.
Speaker 6 (27:48):
Well, it's a horrific things about Israel, right, No, I understand.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
But what I'm saying, if if the word you're pronouncing
is a rack contour, that is actually you are wrecorteur. Okay,
and that sounds French. That sounds French. I thought you
were saying wrecon tour, which is sort of a storyteller.
But anyway, either way, she's probably no friend of Israel.
(28:15):
If she is, if she's being, you know, unfavorably disposed
towards towards the one democracy that I know of in
the Middle East. Thanks Liza, appreciate you calling.
Speaker 6 (28:27):
Welcome bye, good thank you.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
I'm going to take a quick break here six one, seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten
thirty back with my guest, doctor Jesse Helfer, represented the
part of the Brookline School Committee. I'm sure that we're
going to see more of these stories and Hopefully by
listening tonight you can understand what is going on, because
sometimes stories that occur in in May or June over
(28:53):
the summer months get forgotten, and you'll be able to
connect these stories with other stories that might develop in
the months ahead. Back on nights right after.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
This, you're on Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Skip back to the phone calls right away. Let me
go to Harvey Silverglade, a good friend of many years,
an incredible attorney. Those of you know him as a
regular listener to Night's Side. Harvey, you were on with
my guest, talk to Jesse. Help go ahead, Harvey.
Speaker 8 (29:26):
Speaking as a Jewish civil libertarian, I am of a
view that anti Semitism is a hopeless battle when it's
aimed at changing what's called hearts and minds. It's an
ancient hatred. It will not be wiped out. What we
(29:52):
have to do is make it clear that violence, destruction
of property, physical actions by anti Semites or crimes, and
we have to enforce it. But I don't think that
we should aim at anti anti Semitic speech, including in
(30:15):
the schools.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
I think we have to make clear the difference between speech.
Speaker 8 (30:20):
And action if a student or anybody else wants to
be anti Semitic, there is no way of changing that
person's soul and mind.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
So Harvey, let me ask you this question real quickly
if I could, and then I want to get doctor
Helfer in here. I'm with you. I'm also a free
speech advocate. However, I don't know that I want my
tax dollars being used in a public school system to
present a biased view which could pretty easily be characterized
(30:58):
as antisemitic.
Speaker 8 (31:00):
Okay, let me deal with Let me deal with that.
A teacher who is who teaches from an anti submitting
point of view should be fired.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Why?
Speaker 8 (31:10):
Because it is improper for teachers to impart ideological views.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
So you and I wrote, we're together on that. I
mean they didn't teach math, that they didn't teach physics,
that they had to teach reading, writing, arithmetic. Doctor Helford comment,
if you would because one other caller I want to
get to as well.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
Yes, sir, Yes, Harvey, thank you for your comment.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Jesse Hester here, I agree with you that anti Semitism
is sort of impossible to eradicate. Nevertheless, kids learn about
these kinds of hatred of Jews through all kinds of
different channels. Maybe it's social media, maybe it's from the
inside their family.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
Maybe it's from their friends.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
And this kind of behavior, especially within any school, public
or private, can't.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
Really be allowed. In other words, it's.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
True that it's hard to stop, but education and support
and a commitment by our society around us that this
is not okay is very important to the extent that
it can help us bring about a graduating class.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
Of kids who, when they're faced by these.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Kinds of challenges in the real world, know how to
sort of address and respond to this hatred. We're on
the right path, you know. It's not our goal to
complete the task, but we can't walk away from it either,
And so our goal within the public school system is
to create an environment, a balanced environment where, of course
(32:46):
you'll be exposed at certain times to differing points of view, however,
not ideological training.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
All right, Harvey, I thank you. As always, I want
to get one other caller in here before our evening
concludes with the doctor and Jesse hefter, thanks Harvey. Right, oh, okay,
we're gonna get Patty in here. Patty, you are going
to be the final caller of the hour with my
guest doctor Jesse Hefter, go right ahead, Patty.
Speaker 9 (33:14):
Don Hi, Jesse, beautiful words, Don Ray, best subject matters
every night Night Side with Don Ray. Amazing. I just
want to share with you. We were in Montreal, where
I'm made. My husband is made there. It's his birthday tonight.
They didn't want me to call in, but I couldn't
help it because we were on Sat. Captain Street and
(33:36):
all of a sudden, the cops jack Knight and parked
in the front to the left, to the right to
block the streets off. I said, up here we go,
and then there's a whole anti Israel, pro get rid
of the Jews coming down and Palestinian and this religious
thing and hatred and anger and loud screaming. I was
(33:59):
filmed it there my face and moving away. It was terrible.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
Patty, Patty, I missed, where are you? You said, in Montreal?
Speaker 9 (34:10):
Yeah, but I'm here now. I'm en route nine right
this second in Boston.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Okay.
Speaker 9 (34:15):
She came back on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Okay. So wait, so the the experience you had was
in Montreal not okay? Great, Okay, Well it's everywhere. The
point you're making is it's.
Speaker 9 (34:28):
Everywhere, but five minutes later there was a march for
Jesus and you hear them. They were in costumes and
dancing and and love, and you could it was so bipolar,
it was unimaginable. It was from dark to the light
and it just was so weird, which leads me to
(34:51):
believe we're living in like a bipolar kind of way.
It's from the dark to the light.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
All right, Patty, interesting experience. As always, Thanks so much
for your loyalty to this program and thank you for
being there every night. Thank you, Patty so much.
Speaker 9 (35:10):
Oh my god, Dad, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
You're very welcome. Doctor Jesse Hefter, thank you so much
for what you do. Please keep in contact with on
this There are other communities that follow the lead of Brookline.
I hope more listening tonight and as schools reconvene in September,
people will realize that something needs to be done to
(35:33):
make sure that kids get an opportunity to go to
school and that they're not indoctrinated by anyone from any
point of view.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
Thank you again.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yes, discrimination, harassment and bullying for any reason has no
place in our society, certainly not in our schools. Anti
Semitism as we discussed earlier, has crept up, you know,
in Massachusetts as well as in the United States and
the world post October seventh, and we just need to
keep our shoulder to the burden and push, you know,
we need to react, we need to educate, we need
(36:04):
to collaborate, we need to look for solutions.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
But overall, respect and dignity for everyone.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Thank you so much, Thank you.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
For what you do.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
With an honor to be with you, doctor hef right
back at you, Doctor Jesse. After other workline school committing
when we come back, when we talk about tariffs, and
we're going to learn a lot about tariffs and what
they are doing and what they're not doing. Going to
be talking with Professor Greg Staller. He's a professor at
Boston University's Questum School of Business and I don't know
(36:32):
anyone who is more adept in explaining tariffs than he.
And if you have any questions, feel free and if
you have comments, you are more than welcome. We'll be
right back here on nights side after the ten o'clock
news
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Bridie Watkins, thank you very much. We here on Nightside
often talk about the revival, if you will, of anti Semitism.
It's something that most of us, I think, who grew
up post World War Two and understood what had happened
(00:29):
in Europe in World War two and some of which
had happened in this country. There were Nazi bond meetings
in this country in the nineteen thirties, big rallies at
places like Madison Square Garden, which again seem inconceivable, unimaginable. However,
they did occur, and there has been a resurgence of
(00:52):
anti Semitism across this country over the last I'm going
to guess ten, twelve, maybe fifteen years. And I'm delighted
to be joined tonight by a member of the school
committee in Brookline, Massachusetts, doctor Jesse Hefter. Doctor Hefter, thanks
for joining us tonight, because you and the Brookline School
(01:15):
Committee have shown a great deal of leadership on this
issue to get school committees around the state to join
you and be ahead of the curve and anticipate, as
opposed to simply react to incidents of anti Semitism. Welcome
(01:36):
to night side, doctor Hefter.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Thank you, Dan, it's a pleasure to be here, and you,
being one of my heroes in terms of your thought leadership,
it's an honor to.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Be with you this even well, thank you very much
all of us. Of course, remember what happened half a
world away in Israel on October seventh. But in the
wake of that, we saw an uptick in anti what
I considered to be anti Semitism.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Here in.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
The town, in the city of Newton, there were posters
of hostages which were defaced clearly you know, anti Semitic activity.
There was a woman who at one of the high
end malls the street in Chestnut Hill was pulling down
(02:31):
individual photographs of the hostages so as opposed to rallying
against this. That horrific event that half the world away
on October seventh, twenty twenty three, seemed to reignite some
latent anti Semitism in some individuals. I was stunned by that.
(02:55):
I suspect you're going to tell me that it almost
was expected. Why was Why would that you would think
the normal reaction would have been empathy with the people
who had been slaughtered by terrorists, but it didn't quite
work that way.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
There is a thank you for bringing this again to
the forefront. It's an extremely serious situation, and I think
what we're facing as a society is the result of
an ideological shift that unfortunately looks at the world too
(03:34):
often in a sense, in a binary kind of view,
the classic oppress or oppressed kind of narrative. It's been
flipped in anti Semitism to say that anytime the Jewish
people are not discriminated against and not bullied and not
arrassed and not singled out from being killed just for
(04:00):
being Jews, that somehow, if they're able to show senses
of strength, that somehow anyone that they're showing strength against
becomes the victim. And it's an insidious.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Kind of myth. Really. That is another form.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Of anti Semitism, That is to say, even though anti Semitism,
you know, over the last two thousand years is an
open hatred towards Jewish people for all different kinds of reasons,
dan in today's world, as soon as the Jews are
able to protect.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
Themselves, defend themselves in their.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
One country in the world, somehow they are the oppressors
and in their quest too, in the particular case that
you brought up in terms of the Israel Gaza conflict,
in their quest and return innocent civilians home, men, women,
children that from all different nationalities, they've had to work
(04:59):
very very hard. They've had to fight very very hard,
and lose a lot of people along the way, from
from their from the from the army, and and and
to take a tremendous, tremendous amount of world criticism, both
from our United Nations as well as from many countries.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Around the world.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And meanwhile, you know, sort of the Israel soldiers on
literally because we want to bring our citizens back. And
at the same time, there's been a campaign.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
I would say, of as we know, of sort.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Of misinformation and disinformation about the conflict that tends to
portray uh the unfortunate bystanders as the victims of a
plot to somehow rid the world of of of the
residents of Gaza, which of course is a misinformation, a myth.
(05:52):
And so as a result, Israel's put in a very
difficult situation as it's trying to its people home, and
that has caught somehow the fancy of a generation of people,
both people who perhaps were more let's say, fine with
(06:13):
the Jewish people around them, but somehow got activated when
after October seventh and the media portrayed the situation and
the way that it has and among amongst our young people,
it became sort of a cause. And I think that
led to, you know, people who are not you know,
fully educated in this area find it very comfortable to
(06:35):
be able to align with this kind of sort of
protest against what's what's going on as a sort of
a civil rights issu're leaving out or human rights issu're
leaving out. The incident that actually set it off was
it which why, as you say, was a horrific and.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
You know, in humane attack on innocent people.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Now, all of this from October of twenty twenty three
to tonight, there have been peaks and valleys, ups and downs.
And one of the controversies that landed at the Brookline
School Committee was this effort by the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
(07:20):
Their executive committee actually had a password protected set of
online educational resources. And I'm quoting here from an article
in the Jewish Journal for quote learning about the history
and current events in Israel and Occupied Palestine for MTA
(07:41):
members to use with each other and their students unquote. Now,
it was very difficult to find out what was in
this password protected set of online educational resources. But the
school committees of not only Brookline but of other communities
(08:01):
have raised concerns about this because obviously these password protected
online materials. Why were they password protected? Why were they
not made available for everyone to look at before teachers
could rely upon them as as you know, factual documents.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
I'm not a member of the m t A.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I can't comment as to why it wasn't made freely
available on the open Internet. My guess would be that
curricular resources that are curated and disseminated by the organization
at the MTA are benefits that you get as you're
a member of the union, and so as a result,
it's possible, again this is conjecture on my part, that
(08:49):
it's possible that they remained behind the members only sort
of pay well, but only for members, so that it's
not just like any other curricular materials that may or
may not be behind their paywall.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
They kept it to members only.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
But some of the documents and some of the curricula
were released and caused concern and I know what caused
concern amongst amongst school committee members in Brookline and elsewhere,
and that's what I want to talk about. I want
to get it to the next stage of the action
(09:26):
that the Brookline School Committee took. It was not unanimous,
and you're not here speaking on behalf of the Brookline
School Committee. You're speaking as a member of the Brookline
School Committee, one of the nine members. You were in
the majority of this. It was quite embarrassing to the
mass Teachers Association they were hearings at the State House.
(09:47):
But the point that I want to make tonight for
people to understand is that there have been some other
school committees in communities here in Massachusett who have looked
at the resolution that Brookline School Committee passed and now
have thought that this would be a good idea for
(10:10):
their communities as well. And I want to talk to
you about that. And I also want to invite people
to call because there's so much of this stuff that
leaks its way into classrooms and into schools. We're not
talking about colleges here. We're not in any way, shape
or form referencing what's going on or not going on
(10:32):
on college campuses. We're talking about high schools, in.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Massachusetts and twelve actually.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
K through twelve okay, yeah, yeah, okay, it's to me,
it's absolutely ridiculous to think that anything like this is
being taught in an elementary school. Because the time in
elementary school is so precious. It should be dealt with
the fundamentals, the building blocks of a child's education. They
don't have to know about what is going on in
(11:00):
world history or world conflict in the third and fourth
grade in my or even younger. But so this would
be K through twelve, Yeah, which is even I think worse.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Well, it's available, it's available to teachers in K twelve.
I'm not suggesting, nor maybe the MTA that this be
utilized in a kindergarten classroom with the resources were there
to support teachers. And what teachers who were members of
the MTA found is that when they downloaded and looked
at it, they were horrified. And eventually, to your earlier point,
they made that material available, for example, to the Governor's
(11:33):
Special Commission on Combating Anti Semitism.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
So that it could be looked at and that opened
it up to the public.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Right and again, the fact that it was pastord protected
initially certainly would have raised mind. You're kinder than I
am to.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
The Okay, thank you gods who.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Take a break. My guest is a member of the Brookline,
Massachusetts School Committee, doctor Jesse Hefter.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
He serves as a member of that elected board, nine
member board. But they passed a resolution. We'll talk about
that resolution and talk about what other communities are doing
following in their footsteps. And if you want to comment
one way or the other, you know, keep it, keep
it polite, keep it conversational. Six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty or six one seven, nine three one
(12:23):
ten thirty. Were coming right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
My guest is doctor Jesse Hefter, member of the school
committee in Brookline. And by the way, just to be
clear on this Brookline, although as I understand that half
of the students in the Brookline public schools are Jewish,
there have been incidents of anti semitism in Brookline itself.
(12:51):
Give us a couple of examples of that, because again
it's I don't want to publicize these, but I want
people to realize we are talking about something that we
need to be concerned about, not something that is, it's
an imagined transgression.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Right, So I'm within Brookline, Dan.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
The most recent incident, unfortunately, was a large window at
the front of the koshert supermarket on Harvard Street in
Brookline was actually smashed by vandals in the darkest night
with a brick. Brick was thrown through the window and
when police arrived they found that lettered and red on
(13:30):
the brick were two words free Palestine.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
This was a scene.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
I have not seen any anyone taken into custody as
a result of that. Did I miss?
Speaker 5 (13:41):
That is correct?
Speaker 3 (13:41):
There is video the men were the individuals were masked
and in dark clothing and it was late in the
middle of the middle of the night, and so yeah,
I don't believe that there's been any apprehension.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
But also really Gal, yes there were.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Within the school system is well.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Yes, there have been non occasion in the first you know,
it's a three year term on the Brookline School Committee.
I'm just starting my second term. So in my first term, yeah,
we were seeing several incidents of a discrimination. And I
want to point out that obviously there's no real detail
(14:23):
that I can provide the public about those if they
haven't been publicized by the people who were actually affected. However,
we worked hard, I mean the school system, we're hard
to address these to try to come to an understanding
of why these incidents happened and what education and training
(14:43):
can be done amongst the staff in order to help
students from if the student was was at fault or
any other individual, to try to get in underneath why
it happened and what we can do as a school
community to ensure that all students are treated in a
nondiscriminatory and non harassed method you know mode, and when
(15:06):
they're in within when when at all times, but certainly
when they're within the school.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Let me ask you this, if some student does something stupid,
you know, write something on the wall, puts us some
sign in the bathroom or whatever, and you folks figure
out who the student was, are there any programs to
try to help that student understand the ignorance of his
or her actions.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
So in the district has worked hard to ensure that
staff work with the student as well as potentially even
that class to do some education, because I think awareness
and education amongst our kids is very important to address
(15:51):
this situation. Sometimes, as you say, kids thinks it's a
stupid thing. So whether it's a symbol of some type,
whether it's a physical gesture, all these can be interpreted
by our American Jewish students within our system, and we
have a large cohort of Israeli American students as well
(16:12):
within the public as of Bookline. And so we want
to ensure that whenever any kind of symbol or gesture, behavior, words,
non non verbal communication affects someone else in a way
that makes them uncomfortable, that we address it.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
We have policies about it.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
And yet we unfortunately, yes, had some incidents and have
been working hard to address them through you know, through
through time the response and through education.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Good so very quickly, and I've got a minute or
so left here, but uh and I do want to
get to phone calls on the on the other side
of the news. There have been other communities that have
followed Brooklines lead, and again I view this as being
proactive as as opposed to being reactive.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Yes, this is like it's become sort of like a
grassroots advocacy movements. And well, you know, a journalist whom
I not said, you know, when you do one or
two cities and towns that's sort of okay. When you
get the three or four, it's already moving along a
little bit. And so I'm happy to share with you
that after you know, I wrote the resolution and we
(17:24):
passed it in Brookline. It quickly passed in Marblehead, where
there's been a history of issues since October seventh and before.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
And so it's really raised the.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Hopes and spirits of a lot of teachers and family
members in that community. Then it then moved its way
to Bedford, where it was passed through some local activism
and some work with the school committee there and most
recently in the town of Natick, and it's being reviewed
now in five or six other cities and towns, and
we're working hard to get the message out across the
(17:58):
entire Commonwealth to particularly DAN support those school districts amongst
our three hundred and fifty odd districts in the state,
who may not have the Jewish community advocacy, who may
not have a way to a place to turn to
say are these materials something I need to be worried about?
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Or is this okay?
Speaker 3 (18:16):
And so the resolution basically cautions teachers and it says, look,
think twice before you use this because there's definite anti
Semitic stuff in there, and that we want you to
be careful about it. And know that other cities and
towns have raised their voices through their school boards to
say this is not okay and if you need support,
(18:38):
here are cities and towns because the media is picking
up on it now to say, look, we can help you,
and we can guide you. We have a new school
year starting in six seven weeks and we're there to help.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
On the local level.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Last question before the break, and I'm looking for a
good direct answer to this one. Yea, with all the
content ever seed it swirled around these materials, okay, has
the MTA, the Mass Teachers Association ever said, gee, maybe
it wasn't a good idea to make these materials available,
(19:12):
Maybe it wasn't a good idea to make any materials available,
and has decided to withdraw the materials or are they
still out and about and available?
Speaker 5 (19:23):
All right?
Speaker 4 (19:25):
I am not an empty member.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
As I mentioned earlier, I don't have access what.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
I've been told.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
What I've been told is that the most egregious hyperlinks
that take you to sites that show extreme anti semitic posters,
flags propaganda kind of literature. Several of those sites were
removed after the February twenty three hearing with the Governor's
Special Submission on Combating Anti Semitism, when it was exposed
to the.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Public and made it into the media.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
However, there's a large amount of material that is still
there to my knowledge as of very recently, that is
not the most objectionable, but but portrays a very biased
and not an unnuanced or unbalanced view of Israel. And
so it remains, as far as I know, to this
(20:11):
every day.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Okay, and they and and.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Yes, they have not been willing to discuss with teachers
and other organization, even their members and other organizations about
the impact that this has ever.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Okay, Uh, my guest, I'm delighted to have with us
a Brookline School Committee member, doctor Jesse Hefter, who has
been a leader on this issue. He is not speaking
on behalf of the school committee. However, the School Committee
did vote by a margin of six to three to
adopt this resolution, uh, and characterize what they perceive as
(20:47):
a pervasive and escalating problem with a large number of
reported incidents of hate, bullying, harassment, and discrimination experienced by
families and teachers and again that is Brookline. We're going
to go to phone calls six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one seven, nine, three one ten thirty.
I think that anyone who is a thinking person needs
(21:10):
to understand that anti Semitism has a long and a
horrible history. Uh. And just as in the wake of
World War Two people said never again, and they were
commitments of never again, I think that somehow people become
numb to it, their time passes, and people forget. Uh.
(21:33):
And part of my job, in my view, is to
not allow people to forget. And that's why we're talking
about it tonight. And if you want to support the conversation,
feel free. If you want to ask a question, feel free.
And if you want to present a different point of
view as always, feel free. Six one, seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty.
Back right after the news break here on Nightside with
(21:55):
Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's News Radio, ten thirty on
your AM dial.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Night Side with Dan Ray on w BZ Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
My guest is doctor Jesse Hefter. He is a member
of the Brookline School Committee, and we're going to go
to phone calls right away, and feel free to jump
on board if you would like. I do have a
couple of open lines, one at six one seven, two
five four, ten thirty and one at six one seven
nine thirty. Let me go to Lisa in Brookline. Lisa,
you first this hour on Nightside. Welcome to Nightside, Lisa.
(22:29):
How are you tonight?
Speaker 6 (22:30):
I'm very well, Thank you, and thank you for taking
my call, and thank you for covering this topic. What
I'd like to ask is this anti semitism is so
pervasive and subtle sometimes too. For instance, just this past week,
Senator Secretary of State Marco Rubio sanctioned the UN Special
(22:57):
Rapperteur Francesca Albernize for anti semitism. Now, she is in
a very important position, she had been in this position
for a very long time and has loss of support.
And the UN is considered a prestigious organization and yet
it is rice with anti semitism. So how could you
(23:20):
empower teachers to discuss.
Speaker 7 (23:22):
This when it's going against how people view the UN,
which is thought of as an organization that promotes peace. Okay,
thank you very.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Much, so we'll stay right there. That's a complicated question. First,
of all, the UN is made up of a lot
of countries around the world. They're not all Western democracies,
and many of them are problematic. Who did Secretar or
State Rubio center? I missed that when you explained that, Lisa.
Speaker 6 (23:56):
Yes, so that's her name is Francesca Albernize. She's special
rapporteur to the Palestinians.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
And why did he cens her job?
Speaker 6 (24:09):
I think yes, her job is to is to report
the u N about the situation of the Palestinians.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Okay, but I don't assume that Rubio censured her for
having that position.
Speaker 6 (24:26):
Uh No, he sanctioned her because she's an out and
out anti Summit who was a chieesd Issabel's genocide countless time.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Okay, all right, let's get doctor Helferd to respond to that,
although it might be a little bit beyond his purview, Doctor.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Helfer, Yeah, thank you, Thank you Dan, and thank you Lisa.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
A few days ago, last week, CNN did report this
that the US was opposing sanctions against a senior UN
official who focuses heavily on the human rights of Palestinians.
That's what Secretary of State Ruvio announced, and he was
imposing this Dan because she is the UN Special Rapperteur
(25:07):
on Human Rights in the Palestinian territories, but quote for
her illegitimate and shameful efforts to corrupt international criminal court
actions against the US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
So this is a as.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
I mentioned I think earlier in our intro discussion, Dan,
there are attacks made against the Jewish people in the
State of Israel from all sides and at all times.
That's part of what's so pernicious of an anti Semitism,
and in this case, the US Secretary of State called
it out.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
The UN is.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
Thought about being a peaceful organization.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
You're one hundred percent right that it's over one hundred
and fifty member countries are at least on paper, aimed
at and trying to bring a peace across the world.
But let's just remember the facts. In nineteen forty eight,
the UN created Israel through the Partition Plan, the Arab
communities around immediately attacked Israel to exterminate all the Jews
(26:05):
who were living there. And forty years later nineteen sixty,
so twenty years later, just a mere few decades later,
through resolutions, the UN called Zionism racism, and so there
are and this was under the influence of a larger
percentage of majority of countries who as becoming new members
of the UN, as you mentioned, over times, as population
(26:26):
grew through political direction, took a very negative view about
Israel just twenty years later. So there are significant pressures,
and I think the Secretary of Stage should be commended
for calling these out a lot of times.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
And people are reluctant and to mention these.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Kinds of anti Semitism acts because people feel they'll be retaliation,
They feel uncomfortable. It's sort of this classic stereotype that
you're saying, you know, like for a disease, maybe it'll
go away, but this doesn't go away, you know. Judeophobia
or hate of the Jewish peace people, as you say,
goes back millennia and it forms all different.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
Kinds of ways.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
And it's to the secular State's credit that he took
action when when something blatantly anti Semitic was uh, what
was brought to their attention.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
All right, Lisa, thank you for bringing that up. I
had missed that. It's you know, again, I'm unfamiliar with
her work, so therefore I would withhold comment. I was
fascinated by the word that you were using. She she
was characterized as a reporter or was that the word
(27:38):
you were using? I missed it.
Speaker 8 (27:40):
She's apteur a rack contour.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Is that the word rack onteur?
Speaker 8 (27:46):
That means a story position.
Speaker 6 (27:48):
Well, it's a horrific things about Israel, right, No, I understand.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
But what I'm saying, if if the word you're pronouncing
is a rack contour, that is actually you are wrecorteur. Okay,
and that sounds French. That sounds French. I thought you
were saying wrecon tour, which is sort of a storyteller.
But anyway, either way, she's probably no friend of Israel.
(28:15):
If she is, if she's being, you know, unfavorably disposed
towards towards the one democracy that I know of in
the Middle East. Thanks Liza, appreciate you calling.
Speaker 6 (28:27):
Welcome bye, good thank you.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
I'm going to take a quick break here six one, seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten
thirty back with my guest, doctor Jesse Helfer, represented the
part of the Brookline School Committee. I'm sure that we're
going to see more of these stories and Hopefully by
listening tonight you can understand what is going on, because
sometimes stories that occur in in May or June over
(28:53):
the summer months get forgotten, and you'll be able to
connect these stories with other stories that might develop in
the months ahead. Back on nights right after.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
This, you're on Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Skip back to the phone calls right away. Let me
go to Harvey Silverglade, a good friend of many years,
an incredible attorney. Those of you know him as a
regular listener to Night's Side. Harvey, you were on with
my guest, talk to Jesse. Help go ahead, Harvey.
Speaker 8 (29:26):
Speaking as a Jewish civil libertarian, I am of a
view that anti Semitism is a hopeless battle when it's
aimed at changing what's called hearts and minds. It's an
ancient hatred. It will not be wiped out. What we
(29:52):
have to do is make it clear that violence, destruction
of property, physical actions by anti Semites or crimes, and
we have to enforce it. But I don't think that
we should aim at anti anti Semitic speech, including in
(30:15):
the schools.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
I think we have to make clear the difference between speech.
Speaker 8 (30:20):
And action if a student or anybody else wants to
be anti Semitic, there is no way of changing that
person's soul and mind.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
So Harvey, let me ask you this question real quickly
if I could, and then I want to get doctor
Helfer in here. I'm with you. I'm also a free
speech advocate. However, I don't know that I want my
tax dollars being used in a public school system to
present a biased view which could pretty easily be characterized
(30:58):
as antisemitic.
Speaker 8 (31:00):
Okay, let me deal with Let me deal with that.
A teacher who is who teaches from an anti submitting
point of view should be fired.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Why?
Speaker 8 (31:10):
Because it is improper for teachers to impart ideological views.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
So you and I wrote, we're together on that. I
mean they didn't teach math, that they didn't teach physics,
that they had to teach reading, writing, arithmetic. Doctor Helford comment,
if you would because one other caller I want to
get to as well.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
Yes, sir, Yes, Harvey, thank you for your comment.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Jesse Hester here, I agree with you that anti Semitism
is sort of impossible to eradicate. Nevertheless, kids learn about
these kinds of hatred of Jews through all kinds of
different channels. Maybe it's social media, maybe it's from the
inside their family.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
Maybe it's from their friends.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
And this kind of behavior, especially within any school, public
or private, can't.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
Really be allowed. In other words, it's.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
True that it's hard to stop, but education and support
and a commitment by our society around us that this
is not okay is very important to the extent that
it can help us bring about a graduating class.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
Of kids who, when they're faced by these.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Kinds of challenges in the real world, know how to
sort of address and respond to this hatred. We're on
the right path, you know. It's not our goal to
complete the task, but we can't walk away from it either,
And so our goal within the public school system is
to create an environment, a balanced environment where, of course
(32:46):
you'll be exposed at certain times to differing points of view, however,
not ideological training.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
All right, Harvey, I thank you. As always, I want
to get one other caller in here before our evening
concludes with the doctor and Jesse hefter, thanks Harvey. Right, oh, okay,
we're gonna get Patty in here. Patty, you are going
to be the final caller of the hour with my
guest doctor Jesse Hefter, go right ahead, Patty.
Speaker 9 (33:14):
Don Hi, Jesse, beautiful words, Don Ray, best subject matters
every night Night Side with Don Ray. Amazing. I just
want to share with you. We were in Montreal, where
I'm made. My husband is made there. It's his birthday tonight.
They didn't want me to call in, but I couldn't
help it because we were on Sat. Captain Street and
(33:36):
all of a sudden, the cops jack Knight and parked
in the front to the left, to the right to
block the streets off. I said, up here we go,
and then there's a whole anti Israel, pro get rid
of the Jews coming down and Palestinian and this religious
thing and hatred and anger and loud screaming. I was
(33:59):
filmed it there my face and moving away. It was terrible.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
Patty, Patty, I missed, where are you? You said, in Montreal?
Speaker 9 (34:10):
Yeah, but I'm here now. I'm en route nine right
this second in Boston.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Okay.
Speaker 9 (34:15):
She came back on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Okay. So wait, so the the experience you had was
in Montreal not okay? Great, Okay, Well it's everywhere. The
point you're making is it's.
Speaker 9 (34:28):
Everywhere, but five minutes later there was a march for
Jesus and you hear them. They were in costumes and
dancing and and love, and you could it was so bipolar,
it was unimaginable. It was from dark to the light
and it just was so weird, which leads me to
(34:51):
believe we're living in like a bipolar kind of way.
It's from the dark to the light.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
All right, Patty, interesting experience. As always, Thanks so much
for your loyalty to this program and thank you for
being there every night. Thank you, Patty so much.
Speaker 9 (35:10):
Oh my god, Dad, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
You're very welcome. Doctor Jesse Hefter, thank you so much
for what you do. Please keep in contact with on
this There are other communities that follow the lead of Brookline.
I hope more listening tonight and as schools reconvene in September,
people will realize that something needs to be done to
(35:33):
make sure that kids get an opportunity to go to
school and that they're not indoctrinated by anyone from any
point of view.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
Thank you again.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yes, discrimination, harassment and bullying for any reason has no
place in our society, certainly not in our schools. Anti
Semitism as we discussed earlier, has crept up, you know,
in Massachusetts as well as in the United States and
the world post October seventh, and we just need to
keep our shoulder to the burden and push, you know,
we need to react, we need to educate, we need
(36:04):
to collaborate, we need to look for solutions.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
But overall, respect and dignity for everyone.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Thank you so much, Thank you.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
For what you do.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
With an honor to be with you, doctor hef right
back at you, Doctor Jesse. After other workline school committing
when we come back, when we talk about tariffs, and
we're going to learn a lot about tariffs and what
they are doing and what they're not doing. Going to
be talking with Professor Greg Staller. He's a professor at
Boston University's Questum School of Business and I don't know
(36:32):
anyone who is more adept in explaining tariffs than he.
And if you have any questions, feel free and if
you have comments, you are more than welcome. We'll be
right back here on nights side after the ten o'clock
news
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