Several hundred Winston Churchill High School students walked out of class around noon Monday in support of their Jewish classmates, who continue to be subjected to antisemitic words and actions.
Last week, swastikas were drawn on desks in three Montgomery County Public Schools. Last month, someone spray painted “Jews Not Welcome” on the Walt Whitman High School sign.
Jewish students have spoken out about being called names, harassed and made to feel unwelcome.
Rabbis from a few area synagogues attended but did not speak during the brief walk out. Only student Leah Kreisler addressed the students, who gathered at the school’s bleachers.
The students were supportive and energetic, said Congregation Har Shalom Rabbi Adam Raskin. They showed solidarity, he added.
MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight condemned all acts of hate and racism. “We have to combat it as a community,” she said, adding, The schools alone can’t end this. “There are conversations that have to happen at home and many other places that speak to the respect of difference and the acceptance of difference.”
