Rabbi Daniel Lieberman questions Education Department memo warning school staff not to discuss anti-Semitism

A Perth Rabbi has called a memo warning WA public school teachers not to talk about anti-Semitism or polarising international conflicts “strange”. The message, sent to the department’s 45,000 strong workforce as schools returned for the new school year, reminded staff they should adhere to its code of conduct by remaining neutral on political parties. “We must also refrain from expressing personal views in our public schools regarding international conflicts of a polarising nature, such as recent incidents of anti-Semitism in Australia,” it said. Perth Hebrew Congregation chief Rabbi Daniel Lieberman on Friday said older children should be given the opportunity to understand world events. “That’s very strange,” he said of the memo’s wording. “Hopefully you would be asking, rather than they don’t discuss it, that they discuss it to form a balanced and objective view. “I can understand why people will say that if you are going to discuss such a thing, then you should do so in a respectful manner to prevent conflict and to maximise the opportunity for learning. “But to ban something completely just shows a lack of trust. “I’m actually taken aback that this has come out of the Education Department. “From an educational point of view, it doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand what a memo like that is trying to achieve.” Rabbi Lieberman said he was aware of some incidents in public schools of anti-Semitic harassment or teachers bringing political opinions into classrooms, but noted Education Minister Tony Buti had been highly responsive. Premier Roger Cook insisted the memo to school staff had not been prompted by any particular incident. He praised the Education Department for reminding teachers of their obligations. “Students right across WA at different age groups will be looking for the teachers to interpret the world for them as they see conflicts and world events, and this is an important reminder to all teachers and people in a learning environment that we want classrooms to be places where kids feel safe, and obviously, we don’t want views or any of those sort of events to be distorted in a way which makes kids feel unsafe,” he said. Mr Cook said there was a difference between historical facts and interpretation of current events. “You’d expect that any teacher who is highly trained and understands the importance of the role that they play in forming the thoughts and ideas of our young people, that they do so in an appropriate way,” he said. “I think today’s reminder by the department is an appropriate one. There’s a lot of conflict in the world today. There’s a lot more coverage than ever in terms of world events, and these kids will be confronting all kinds of information and misinformation on social media. “So it’s important that teachers can play a role to allow these kids to digest, understand and process this information for them to continue to learn from it. “We want our classrooms to be inclusive and safe and it’s important that teachers maintain that inclusive and safe environment. “And I know our teachers, some of the best trained in the country, will do the right thing.”