JCRC Statement
March 7, 2024
The following is a statement from Ron Halber (executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington) and Guila Franklin Siegel (associate director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington) in response to today’s Montgomery County Education Association meeting.
MCEA did the right thing by standing down on a resolution that would have clearly violated the standards of its own constitution. If passed, this resolution would have done nothing to educate students or support teachers, but would have caused real harm to Jewish families and educators already battling a sharp increase in antisemitism attacks in our community. It should never have even been considered, but we are pleased that it ultimately received the fate it deserved.
We are deeply grateful to and inspired by the Montgomery County Jewish Educators Alliance, whose steadfast commitment to the education and safety of all our children and courage in speaking out for what’s right are models for communities across the country. Every day, Jewish people across America are being forced to defend ourselves. This effort shows that pride, focus, and resilience can and will win out against the forces of hate and divisiveness.
We urge MCEA to return its focus to where it should have been all along — ensuring that our schools can thrive — and we hope teachers’ unions and school districts across the DMV heed the same lesson. We will never allow Jewish families and educators to feel forgotten or discarded in their own communities, and we encourage all schools to join us as allies in that cause.