I would like to share this article from Jewish Insider, which so far is the most accurate and nuanced article I have seen on the events surrounding SCBWI and the response to its #StopAntisemitism statement. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://jewishinsider.com/2021/07/antisemitism-israel-kids-literature/__;!!KGKeukY!mcbSkmDOc-k-AxaF21xDIgeM4x7R8NUy2NHrT3Zh8bkxj9X8ujYM77Jvqn1uHe8zRFR92W-DY9kWO6s$ .
I'm also pasting below the text of a message from SCBWI Israel, which took the very helpful approach of myth-busting. As I said in my message to Hasafran on June 29, I continue to urge you NOT to engage about this issue on social media, where productive conversations are nearly impossible, and where misinformation spreads like a coronavirus. As I suggested before, if you feel compelled to take action of some kind, please (1) learn all you can about the situation, (2) take some time to calmly compose your thoughts, (3) write privately to SCBWI with constructive suggestions. Thank you all, Heidi You may have heard or seen some troubling things about SCBWI recently. We’d like to briefly share a few insights into what’s been going on. 1) TRUE. SCBWI has been vociferously attacked following its statement against antisemitism <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001TkQvDRpmw_kLVEGriKRre2iJ6SU6Ug31zhAn8u-OF5vrVv2gpybiv4hhq9hs9naUZGGbCFFfXcRAdGpjXfM2BXU9gmZ5ZmqdS9CQ64UglplpdacvroSlCHl6GlCpB7zI8V2mslcAx0fQ2N5R-ob4BPuMIaVPFvH5c50kRx-Kn0w=&c=vtK3JYRDTeXgA3PNL0MN9qYcmorwA6C1k9Ufi_vWjTQrHIwjtFdmaQ==&ch=oOeOC40jYR5z4lVdQJKLEVuRPpy6Bhu4UoBWQMtNIsiqqzi9b6MFGw==__;!!KGKeukY!mcbSkmDOc-k-AxaF21xDIgeM4x7R8NUy2NHrT3Zh8bkxj9X8ujYM77Jvqn1uHe8zRFR92W-DPZ-MOhQ$ > a few weeks ago, mainly by a Palestinian former member through Twitter. 2) FALSE. It is not true that SCBWI fired or demanded the resignation of April Powers, their Equity & Inclusion officer. April has assured us she does not want her job back and that members, the public, and the media should not be campaigning for her reinstatement. 3) FALSE. Some Jewish media have irresponsibly suggested that SCBWI has apologized for the statement against antisemitism. That is not true. The statement stands and is still available on their site <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001TkQvDRpmw_kLVEGriKRre2iJ6SU6Ug31zhAn8u-OF5vrVv2gpybiv4hhq9hs9naUZGGbCFFfXcRAdGpjXfM2BXU9gmZ5ZmqdS9CQ64UglplpdacvroSlCHl6GlCpB7zI8V2mslcAx0fQ2N5R-ob4BPuMIaVPFvH5c50kRx-Kn0w=&c=vtK3JYRDTeXgA3PNL0MN9qYcmorwA6C1k9Ufi_vWjTQrHIwjtFdmaQ==&ch=oOeOC40jYR5z4lVdQJKLEVuRPpy6Bhu4UoBWQMtNIsiqqzi9b6MFGw==__;!!KGKeukY!mcbSkmDOc-k-AxaF21xDIgeM4x7R8NUy2NHrT3Zh8bkxj9X8ujYM77Jvqn1uHe8zRFR92W-DPZ-MOhQ$ > as of now. If you still have questions or comments, we welcome them. Please remember that we're all volunteers and doing our best to keep up with some very fast-moving events. And more importantly - many voices across and outside of SCBWI are calling for a refocusing on its core mission of creating children’s books. Ours is among them. In that spirit, we hope you’ll find time this summer between work, friends, family, and new experiences, to recharge your creative batteries and hone your kidlit craft!
__ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) ================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [email protected] To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list [email protected] https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
