Metro

DOE snubs invite to view Hamas atrocities as parents, teachers demand action

By
Deirdre Bardolf and
Susan Edelman
Published Dec. 16, 2023, 2:05 p.m. ET

Fifty-one top cityšŸƒ Department ošŸ…f Education officials were invited to watch footage of the Oct. 7 atrocities committed by Hamas to better understand the Jewish plight, but none responded or attended, The Post has learned.

Chancellor David Banks, his deputies, superintendents, and several UFT representatives were first invited to the screening at the Israeli Consulate by embassy volunteers on Dec. 5 and then two days later by thešŸ’ž NYC Parents Alliance.

The parent group, whš“„§ich represents Jewish families mostly from specialized high schools, sent a lettešŸ²r urging the DOE officials to attend.

Hamas fighters in masks and camo riding on the back of a truck at high speed headed toward the Israel border on Oct. 7.
The Israeli Consulate is offering private screenings, including to media and educators, to show some of the footage gathered from the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. AFP via Getty Images
Schools Chancellor David Banks speaks at podium with government and UFT officials.
NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks was among the 51 DOE officials invited to a screening of Oct. 7 atrocities at the Israeli Consulate. Dennis A. Clark

Besides a few automatic “out of office” replies, not a single response was received, an Alliance parent told The Post.

Volunteers with the Israeli consulate have been organizing the screenings in the Big Apple, with the latest šŸ“held Thursday for academics, including staff from Columbia University, New York University, Cooper Union, and CUNY.

The footage includes gruesome Hamas body-cam footage of the terror group’s slaughter of 1,200 Israelis, an attack that launched the Jewish state’s war with Gaza.

Members of Israeli police help people evacuate in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Oct. 7, 2023.
Members of Israeli police help people evacuate in Ashkelon, southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. ZUMAPRESS.com

“To not respond to us at all does not feel very supportive. It enforces the feeling that the DOE does not take antisemitism seriously,” said the father of a Brooklyn Tech student.

“We believe that viewing this private screening is a necessary step toward developing an understanding of the reaction of the NYC Jewish community to this atrocity,” the letter from the Alliance reads. The sessions include the opportunity to ask questions of the consul general and Israeli soldiers and engage in debate.

Parents and other groups have ź¦‡been calling on the šŸŒ³DOE to stem a rise of antisemitism in city schools.

The Citywide Council on High Schools this week passed a resolution calling for an ā™antisemitism hotline, public data on hate incidents to be shared, and employee training.

The DOE had no comment.