Describing Jews as ‘Privileged,’ Ethnic Studies Curriculum Sparks Backlash – By Matthew Foldi and Adam Kredo (Free Beacon) / Janaury 20 2021
California Department of Education curriculum will lay the groundwork for a required ethnic studies class
The latest draft of a state-mandated public school curriculum is generating concerns among Jewish groups, who say California’s proposed ethnic studies agenda raises troubling questions about the treatment of Jews compared with other minorities.
The draft curriculum is intended to serve as the foundation for schools to fulfill California’s required high school ethnic studies class. It includes a sample lesson on Jews, recommending students discuss how Jews “sometimes have experienced conditional whiteness and privilege.” Though the proposed curriculum touches on the experiences of several other ethnic groups, the word privilege is applied to only Jews.
The draft also highlights the contributions to the Arab-American experience of several prominent anti-Semites, from the late journalist Helen Thomas to the Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.).
