The manifestations, after October 7, of hatred toward Israel and Jews around the world, but also on the streets of Canada, have unnerved us. But they have not immobilized us. Nor will they ever.
They have also provided an illuminating insight into one of the key administrative/management differences between public and independent schools. Joanna DeJong VanHof, a researcher at think-tank Cardus, and a PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, was quite exorcised when she read that the administrators or educators of a TDSB school refused to tell the parents of students of the school that swastika graffiti had been scrawled in a washroom in the school in November.
The Toronto Star reported that the TDSB has “moved away from telling parents about these incidents” in order to reduce the likelihood of “copycat acts.” VanHof correctly concluded that the TDSB’s policy appears to be based on the belief that to de-escalate a situation, silence is best. And parents are not needed.
“What absurdity!,” VanHof proclaimed. “As a parent, and as a student of education, this approach baffles me. Does the TDSB actually think parents don’t need to know? That they wouldn’t share the goals of the school in de-escalation? Or worse, which is clearly implied, that they wouldn’t be capable of parenting appropriately? That involving them really would increase the likelihood of “copycat acts,” not reduce it?”
VanHof uses the “silent” approach of the TDSB to the dreadful appearance of the swastika in the school washroom as a jumping off point to compare the approach to solving such problems in most independent schools where “parents are real, actual partners in education”.
Parents of children in the Jewish school system in the GTA and in other locations will likely be able to confirm this latter observation by VanHof about parental involvement in independent schools.
VanHof points out that “independent school communities are growing. They’ve grown by more than 20 per cent over the last decade in Ontario, and most schools I know have wait lists. Parents want change. TDSB enrolment, by contrast, has declined by seven per cent in the last five years alone. Much of that may be due to high costs of living for families and, recently, decisions to move out of the city. But a lot may also be parents exercising their right to a different choice for their child. Most parents just want a safe learning environment that meets their children’s needs.”
GAJE agrees with VanHof’s observations concerning what most parents want for their children’s education. We would also add, of course, that we want fairness in the educational funding of our children in the schools that best meet their needs as Jews of Canada.
As we have often pointed out, the best way to stand against those individuals who attempt to foist their anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatreds upon the rest of us trying to build a law-abiding, freedom-loving, truly democratic and Jewish way of life here is by “doing Jewish”, by boosting Jewish life, by affirming the values of our traditions that provide us focus, strength and purpose.
VanHof’s article can be found at:
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Reminder: GAJE awaits the decision of the Divisional Court on the motion by Ontario for leave to appeal the 46-page ruling by Judge Eugenia Papageorgiou allowing GAJE’s application to proceed to a hearing in court. We will share the decision as soon as we receive it.
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If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit for fairness in educational funding, please click here.
For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com
Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of underwriting the costs of the lawsuit.
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Shabbat shalom
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education (GAJE)
January 26, 2024
Am Yisrael Chai
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 