At Bernard Zell we teach our students to be strong, proud upstanders who live by Jewish values. That means standing up to hate, even and especially when it's uncomfortable to do so.

On this evening, the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”), I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge and honor a group of outstanding recent graduates, who have responded to the scourge of antisemitism in a courageous, articulate and positive way. Gabi Josefeson ‘19 and Celia Pincus ‘20—recent BZ alumni—published an article on Blueprint, the student news site of Jones College Prep High School, calling for action in response to recent anti-Jewish actions at their current school. I encourage you to read the article in its entirety:

Education Brings Understanding

It takes ometz—courage—to stand up for what you believe in such a public way. It takes achrayut—a sense of responsibility to each other—to fight for a better world. And it takes people committed to pursuing darchei shalom—the path of peace—to approach wrongdoing with a strong but compassionate voice. We are incredibly proud of these BZ grads and applaud their efforts in fighting the world's oldest hate. Kol hakavod—well done!