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#  Silencing Palestine? No—Protecting Jewish Students and Keeping Politics Out of the Classroom

Written by Shoshannah Kalaydjian on July 20 2026.

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SHARON QUIRK-SILVA Assemblywoman, District 67

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A STUDENT'S VIEW - California's public schools have one mission: educate students do not recruit them into political movements.

Yet that mission is increasingly being tested. Some activists now argue that efforts to address antisemitism in schools’ amount to 'silencing Palestine.' That claim misses the larger issue. No student should be prevented from learning about the Israeli Palestinian conflict or engaging in respectful discussion. But there is a profound difference between education and advocacy, and public schools must never lose sight of that distinction.

**The classroom is not a campaign headquarters.**

It is not a place where teachers should advance political causes, encourage activism, or present one side of one of the world's most complex conflicts as unquestionable truth. Students deserve better. They deserve an education grounded in facts, historical context, critical thinking, and intellectual honesty.

Public schools serve families from every background. Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Israeli, Palestinian, Christian, and countless others walk through the same classroom doors each morning. Every one of those students has the right to feel safe, respected, and free from intimidation.

**That means schools have two equally important responsibilities.**

First, they must protect free inquiry and allow students to examine difficult historical and political questions. Criticism of any government's policies including those of Israel is protected speech in our democracy.

Second, schools have an obligation to ensure that no student is harassed, excluded, or targeted because of religion, ancestry, ethnicity, or national origin. Protecting students from discrimination is not censorship. It is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of public education.

Unfortunately, today's debate too often collapses these two principles into one. Every discussion about Israel is portrayed by some as antisemitic, while every effort to combat antisemitism is portrayed by others as an attempt to suppress Palestinian voices. Neither extreme serves students.

**The answer is not to silence anyone. The answer is to teach responsibly.**

That means presenting multiple perspectives, encouraging respectful disagreement, and helping students evaluate evidence rather than asking them to adopt a predetermined political narrative. Education should expand minds and not narrow them.

Teachers carry tremendous influence. With that influence comes responsibility. Students look to educators for knowledge, fairness, and integrity not political direction. Public trust in education depends on classrooms remaining places where ideas are explored openly rather than where ideological conformity is rewarded.

Schools should teach the history of the Jewish people, antisemitism, the Holocaust, Zionism, the establishment of the State of Israel, Palestinian history, the displacement and suffering experienced by Palestinians, the history of the broader Middle East, and continuing efforts toward peace. None of these subjects should be erased, minimized, or weaponized.

Students deserve the full picture. They deserve to understand that complex conflicts rarely produce simple heroes and villains. They deserve to wrestle with competing narratives, examine primary sources, and develop their own informed conclusions.

**What they do not deserve is indoctrination.**

Political activism has its place in campaigns, demonstrations, advocacy organizations, and public debate. Public school classrooms are different. They exist to cultivate informed citizens, not ideological followers.

California's educators face an extraordinarily difficult task in an increasingly polarized society. They need clear guidance that protects both academic freedom and student safety while preserving the political neutrality expected of public institutions.

Protecting Jewish students from antisemitism is not an attack on Palestinian identity. Protecting Palestinian and Muslim students from discrimination is not an attack on Jewish identity. Both responsibilities are essential. Neither should come at the expense of the other.

The strength of American public education has always rested on its commitment to open inquiry, intellectual diversity, and equal treatment under the law. Those principles matter now more than ever.

California's classrooms should prepare students to think critically, question respectfully, and engage thoughtfully with a complicated world. They should never become arenas where political activism replaces education.

The goal is not to silence anyone. The goal is to ensure that every student regardless of background, religion, or political belief can learn in an environment defined by fairness, respect, evidence, and truth.

**That is not censorship. That is the purpose of public education.**

**(*Shoshannah Kalaydjian*** *is a young Jewish student who writes about education, identity, and the challenges facing the next generation. Growing up in today’s climate, she has witnessed firsthand how rising antisemitism affects young people in classrooms and on college campuses. She is committed to sharing the perspectives of Jewish youth, amplifying student voices, and encouraging leaders to create safer, more inclusive environments for all students.)*

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