BEVERLY HILLS (CNS) – Citing safety concerns, the superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District has paused a plan to fly the Israeli flag at school campuses for one month every year.
The district’s Board of Education voted 3-2 on Tuesday to display the Israeli flag during the month of May each year to mark Jewish Heritage Month. The measure was part of a resolution aimed at combating antisemitism with a mix of Holocaust education, lessons on Jewish history and remembrance of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
The move was met with opposition from some who worried it appeared to favor one religion, and one nation currently engaged in a war in Gaza, where many Palestinian civilians have been killed.
In a statement Thursday, BHUSD Superintendent Alex Cherniss said that “in light of heightened safety concerns around the displaying of flags on our campuses,” he was issuing a directive that “until further notice, no flags will be displayed on our campuses other than the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the state of California.”
Cherniss said he was taking the action in accordance with a board policy that allows him to do so “to avoid any risk to the safety or security of students, staff or district property or to prevent disruption of school operations.”
During Tuesday’s Board of Education debate on the matter, board member Rachelle Marcus said she was concerned that displaying the Israeli flag would make schools a target. Board member Amanda Stern said “partisan material” such as a national flag does not belong in a public school resolution.
But board member Russell Stewart said the flag display is “not against anyone. It is in support of our Jewish students and the Jewish community.”
Beverly Hills Vice Mayor John Mirisch attended the meeting in support of the move, saying, “This should be a no-brainer for a school district that represents one of the only Jewish-majority communities outside of Israel.”
Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, praised Cherniss’ decision, but said he should have made it clear that “public schools should not be used to make political statements in support of foreign governments committing a genocide.”
“BHUSD must act in the interests of all students, not just those who support Israel,” Ayloush said. “By refusing to acknowledge the immense harm in displaying the flag of a foreign state currently engaged in a campaign of genocide, the district has shown that it clearly values the safety of some students over others.”
The resolution was first presented on Aug. 5, when it appeared to have support from all five board members, but it was sent back to revise some wording, including changing the reason for displaying the flag. According to the Los Angeles Times, the original wording mentioned “support for the Jewish state,” but that was changed to “support for the Jewish community.”
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