The chancellor of New York City public schools took the stage at the 19th annual gala for the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn to express the importance of educating young people about Jewish contributions to New York and the world.
Saying that “you cannot discipline your way to acceptance,” David C Banks said that the New York City Public School system was working with educators around the world to create a new curriculum for students in kindergarten to grade 12 about the “breadth of the Jewish experience.”
“Hate comes from ignorance,” he said. “You have to expose young people so they understand who the Jewish people are and their contributions not only to NYC but to the world.”
Banks’ remarks came just a few weeks after he testified before a congressional committee on antisemitism in the public schools.
More than 200 people attended this year’s Jewish Children’s Museum gala, including the guest of honor, basketball legend Amar’e Stoudemire. A convert to Judaism, Stoudemire said his personal journal reminds him of the journey of Abraham in the bible as they both left their homes to go to Israel.
He also spoke about the importance of education and said that as an avid art collector “what I love most about art is that it pauses history for you. It educates you and this museum reminds me of that, especially from the Jewish standpoint.”
Stoudemire has been a strong supporter of Israel since October 7, including making public statements, telling his followers on social media the day after the war started: "I woke up this morning with some disturbing news out of Israel that Hamas [are] kidnapping children, putting them in cages, killing women, killing the elderly. That's some coward s**t. That's cowardly. And for all y'all Black Live Matter [supporters] who ain't saying nothing, [saying] 'Let me figure out exactly what's happening before saying anything', f**k you,"
Jannatul Ferdouse, an elementary school student at a New York public school, recalled how she and classmates visited the museum where they talked about things to be grateful for like their family and friends, food and education. The youngster also recounted her favorite activities at the museum, such as writing get-well cards to people who are sick and putting coins in the “giant gumball-shaped” charity box.
Ferdouse told the crowd that when she and her friends left the museum there was a “bigger and brighter spark in us,” a shining spark that they want to share with our whole world, [so] we will live in peace.”
JCM founder Devorah Halberstam (Shalom Burkis / Jewish Children’s Museum)[Missing Credit]
The Jewish Children’s Museum is located in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn, NY home to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. It was created by Devorah Halberstam in memory of her son, Ari, who was just 16 when he shot to death on the Brooklyn Bridge in March 1994 by a Lebanese gunman.
“Children are not born to hate hatred is taught we need to educate our children from k-12 and beyond that hate is unacceptable in any form,” Halberstam said. “Our mission at the Jewish Children’s Museum has been just to teach just that … and perpetuate the understanding and acceptance of other.”
Because, she said, “education shapes the next generation.”
