It has been 107 days since Oct. 7, the day that Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel and a war that has cost tens of thousands of lives began. However, there has been almost no formal conversation about the war in the GDS community.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine began long before October, dating back over 75 years to before Israel’s founding in 1948. Since then, tensions between the two countries have continued to fluctuate, resulting in the death of innocent people on both sides. The latest figures from Oct. 7 to Jan. 20 show about 1,200 Israelis dead from the attacks on Oct. 7 alone, and at least 25,105 Gazans dead from the aftermath.
GDS has failed to bring the shocking nature of the war to light in the community.
High School Principal Yom Fox addressed the conflict in front of students and faculty at an assembly on Oct. 13. She mentioned that she, the faculty and the office of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) were available to answer questions. However, there has been little follow-up from the administration regarding discourse about the conflict.
All six students interviewed by the Bit agreed that conversation about the Israel-Palestine conflict is necessary in school. “I think it’s surprising, maybe a little bit alarming, that there hasn’t been any communication to students,” said junior Aidan Jacobs. He added that the faculty has a responsibility to encourage conversation about the war. “It’s global news and a literal war. It’s concerning. It’s scary.”
While some students have discussed the war in class, most have not. I have yet to talk about the issue in any of my classes. I feel desensitized. I go from scrolling through my social media, seeing the countless number of Palestinian and Israeli people being brutalized and killed, to going about my day at school as if nothing is happening. It would be validating to have any sort of conversation that lets me know that other students in the community feel the same way I do.
The Israeli-Palestinian war directly impacts members of the GDS community, with many students feeling as though the conflict directly relates to matters of their identity, either ethnic or religious. Many students have only seen opinions about the conflict circulating on social media. Students only seeing one-sided perspectives and uninformed posts on their screens perpetuates division. It creates an environment where people are scared to speak about the conflict because they’re afraid of being canceled.
Even trying to find people to interview for this article was a challenge, as most people, students and staff alike, declined to comment, sometimes explicitly stating that the conflict was too controversial for them to speak about.
The Middle Eastern and Arab Affinity group began planning the assembly in the spring of 2023 in order to address the broader conflict, according to co-head and senior Lina Fawaz, but pivoted after Oct. 7 to focus the assembly specifically on the attacks and their effects. The assembly was scheduled for Nov. 13, but was canceled by the organization that was scheduled to send speakers, Seeds of Peace, who wanted to take time to process the attacks, according to Director of DEI Marlo Thomas.
According to its website, Seeds of Peace is dedicated to spreading knowledge about the dispute between Israel and Palestine with the goal of inspiring a new generation of change-makers.
Fawaz explained that the goal of the assembly was supposed to be similar to the mission of Seeds of Peace, to foster productive conversation rooted in historical context and education.
In terms of discourse in the classroom, junior Tiya Robi said that her UL American Government teacher asked the students if they felt comfortable having a conversation about the war and then held a discussion about it soon after the events of Oct. 7. Robi said she greatly appreciated the acknowledgment of the conflict in a classroom setting.
Since GDS emphasizes social justice so heavily, it is ironic to be met with silence about a social issue impacting virtually everyone in the community. The conflict is so fraught, yet the administration has left students without a forum to share and hear opinions and information. Without communication and context, people walk around with uninformed opinions about their peers and their perspectives. This ignorance has created an intense divide, where people hear the phrases “pro-Israel” or “pro-Palestine” and automatically place themselves on one side or the other, villainizing any opposing opinion.
Conversation is the first step to avoiding miscommunication. Even if it involves simple discourse with friends and family, any discussion is beneficial. By failing to expose GDS students to thoughtful conversation about the conflict, the administration has obstructed our ability to gain a more nuanced understanding of the events happening around us.