Marjorie, Thanks for bringing up this painful issue of bias against Israel (and Jews) that is used in schools. This issue has been brought up in the past and needs to be revisited. I hope that AJL with the Anti defamation League and the main Jewish organizations like URJ and USCJ will contact school Boards and raise awareness of it. About 15 years ago my colleague Andrea Rapp wrote an article in Reform Judaism and Hadassah created a committee for dealing with misinformation about Israel and Jews alike. Before I retired (10 years ago) parents brought to my attention two issues in textbooks one used in a privates school and one in a public school. I dealt with it with the assistance of our local Rabbi. It needs to be dealt with locally and nationally. Thanks again, Amalia Warshenbrot
From: Marjorie Gann via Hasafran Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2020 11:46 AM To: Hasafran (hasaf...@lists.service.ohio-state.edu) Subject: [ha-Safran] Seeking titles of Controversial Books on Arab-IsraeliConflict Hello, Safranim, I am working on a presentation -- a spinoff from a session I gave at the 2019 AJL Conference-- on anti-Israeli propaganda in novels and memoirs for children and young adults. I am concerned that some books extremely hostile to Israel may be in use in schools. I am aware of one school in the U.S. in which Elizabeth Laird’s A Little Piece of Ground, with its toxic anti-Israel message and its demonization of Israeli soldiers, has been used for class study. I was wondering if anyone else on this list might be aware of the use of this or other anti-Israel books in schools (or in public readings for children) in the U.S. or Canada. Below you’ll find my list of some of the titles which, following detailed analysis, I’ve found to contain factual errors, distortions of history, or instances of demonization and stereotyping of Israel or Israelis. If anyone is aware of the use of any of these books, or of public controversies surrounding the use of these or any other anti-Israel books, I’d appreciate your contacting me off-list at marjoriega...@gmail.com. Thank you. Marjorie Gann Children’s and YA Novels or Memoirs which contain distortions of the Arab-Israeli conflict: Elizabeth Laird: A Little Piece of Ground (2003) Anne Laurel Carter: The Shepherd’s Granddaughter (2008) Deborah Ellis: Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak (2004) The Cat at the Wall (2014) Cathryn Clinton: A Stone in My Hand (2002) Michael Morpurgo: The Kites are Flying! (2009) Ibtisam Barakat: “Marked for Destruction,” in several anthologies Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood (2007) William Sutcliffe: The Wall: A Modern Fable (2013) Randa Abdelfattah: Where the Streets Had a Name (2008) Naomi Shihab Nye: Habibi (1997) Leila Abdelrazaq: Baddawi (2015) Anthony Robinson & Annemarie Young: Young Palestinians Speak: Living Under Occupation (2017) Golbarg Bashi: P Is for Palestine: A Palestine Alphabet Book (2018) Leanne Lieberman: The Book of Trees (2010) Pamela L. Laskin: Ronit & Jamil (2017) -- Marjorie Gann Latest Book: Speak a Word for Freedom: Women against Slavery by Janet Willen and Marjorie Gann Penguin Random House/Tundra, 2015 "An inspiring collection of those who have fought and continue to fight against the evil of slavery and an effectively solemn reminder that slavery remains a global plague." Kirkus "A powerful indictment of human rights abuses and tribute to the women who have fought them." Starred review, Publishers Weekly Five Thousand Years of Slavery, by Marjorie Gann and Janet Willen Tundra Books, 2011 A 2012 Notable Book for a Global Society, Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group, International Reading Association ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year, 2011 Silver Winner, Young Adult Nonfiction Visit our website, www.gannwillen.com, to steal a peek at both books!
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