During May, which was proclaimed Jewish-American Heritage Month by President George W. Bush in 2006, the Newton Public Schools central office building on Walnut Street – the Ed Center – displayed an exhibit created by an English department class at Newton North High School. The exhibit featured large, professional-appearing poster boards with facts and details about different facets of Jewish-American history and culture, placards with photographs of famous Jewish-Americans hanging from the ceiling, and flyers with related information for visitors.
The class, Jewish-American Voices in Literature and Culture (which this reporter was amazed to discover is a high school rather than college-level course title), is described on page 40 of the Newton North High School course catalog as “an in-depth study of Jewish-American literature, culture, art and media…”. The content list for this senior-level course includes The Bread Givers, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, The Bee Season, Everything is Illuminated, Jews Don’t Count, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and JoJo Rabbit.
Pamela Pistiner, the class’s teacher, told Fig City News:
“This Exhibit was developed and curated by students..[who] spent the year learning about Jewish American history through a wide breadth of literature and content related media sources. They focused on both the course essential questions as well as self-guided inquiry to determine their research and organize their collaborative process. Students needed to think deeply about the content that they wanted to include, as well as how to reach a broad audience with varying amounts of prior knowledge. Their overarching goal was for every viewer to walk away having learned something new, and I think they were successful in that mission! The students learned a tremendous amount through the process and got to see their work, and for many of them, their identity, displayed and celebrated.”
A description of the Exhibit appeared in the May 10th NPS District News email from Superintendent Anna Nolin, which is sent to all NPS families. The email stated the Exhibit was supported by “a grant from the state on addressing hate and teaching about genocide…this grant allowed our students to create a museum designed to educate and inform and address rising hate in our community.”
One of the poster boards in the exhibit was focused on antisemitism, and it appeared to present a balanced view of the many forms of antisemitism that have appeared in the U.S. over the past 200 years. However, the exhibit overall presented as conveying a positive message of Jewish-American achievement, participation, and contribution to American history and society.
