Guest opinion: Standing up for justice

Anti-semitism is not a Jewish problem, as was demonstrated recently with the horrific shooting in Buffalo, New York. The killer took as a model violence against other groups, including a mosque and an attack against a synagogue in Halle, Germany, in 2019.

Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, told National Public Radio that antisemitism is a threat to democracy, national security and to the world. She said one way to help combat this trend is education that helps people understand the implications of hatred.

“You can’t wait until a Buffalo to try to stop it,” she said. “You’ve got to try to stop it before.”

Because hate is learned, we also believe it is critical to actively teach children not to hate. This is the root of our annual Stand Up for Justice Award, a grant that recognizes high school, middle school and elementary school educators who are innovative in bringing respect for others’ differences to students in a transformative, impactful and caring way.

The goal is to recognize what educators are doing for children, our future citizens, to make the world a better place, and to help amplify these efforts to others.

We began the Stand Up for Justice award after a 2009 series of incidents at a Naples middle school. A KICK A JEW DAY was promoted by some students based on a popular TV show’s episode called “Kick a Ginger (redhead) Day.” The news of this disturbing plan helped us understand that we needed to encourage programs that would counteract bullying and hate in schools. The goal of the Stand Up for Justice award is to create a resource for educators in any discipline to incorporate strategies that promote understanding and respect among students.

For 13 years, we have supported educators with the award for projects that have included creating an anti-bullying video, implementing impactful Holocaust education, encouraging anti-bullying curriculum and creating multiple kindness and compliment campaigns.

We presented the 2022 Stand Up for Justice Awards in March to two teachers, Romi Rameau and Kathryn Doyle at our Power of Community Celebration.

Rameau, a first-grade teacher at Parkside Elementary School, implements cultural diversity and leadership lessons in her classroom through books, discussion and real-world examples that pair literature with history. Her pupils are encouraged to learn about leaders who look like them as well as identify important character traits of these leaders.

“I am honored to be recognized for choosing to expose my first graders to great leaders from around the world,” Rameau said. “These leaders stood firm for racial, religious and cultural equality. I believe that spending time reading, discussing and analyzing leaders will help them to feel more connected to these individuals, which gives these young citizens of the world the motivation to be leaders as well. “

Doyle, a teacher at Village Oaks Elementary School, encourages reading about the Holocaust and Civil Rights movement, with books focused on themes of justice, equality and freedom to help students understand the sacrifice others have made in history for our freedoms today.

“Being recognized for my work in creating the ABC’s of Justice book with my students reinforced my passion for teaching and leading students to be conscientious, caring citizens whose awareness and actions can help make a difference in the world,” Doyle said. “It gave me confidence that my students understand how this new knowledge of world events and famous social justice leaders provide a model for them to take an active role in working for justice today in their homes, at school and in their communities.”

As representatives of more than 10,000 Jews in the Greater Naples area, we are aware that antisemitism, which is on the rise worldwide, also happens in Southwest Florida. We have taken an active role in protecting our Jewish community with security training; planning security systems for the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center under construction; working closely with Secure Community Networks, a safety and security organization of the Jewish Federation of North America; and through partnerships with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

These efforts are designed to help protect us from hate that is put into practice. We also know it is equally important for us to be proactive to prevent these actions at their roots.

As a result, we applaud our award winners and everyone in the community who is working to Stand Up for Justice.

Jeffrey Feld has been president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples since 2014. For information on past winners of the Stand Up for Justice Award, as well as applications for 2023, visit jewishnaples.org/outreach/educator-award.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Jewish federation of naples taking steps to protect people from antisemitism