Civil rights form an important part of U.S. citizenship that shapes our identity and informs American attitudes and cultural norms. We value democracy and equal treatment of all citizens regardless of cultural, racial, or religious background. In 1964 Martin Luther King Junior won the Nobel Prize “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population” and made the world aware of our struggles and our breakthroughs in civil rights. More recently, in 2009, the Matthew Shepard Act was passed to ensure that crimes motivated by hatred of a group would be tracked and differentiated from other violent crimes. During this time, Civil Discourse is a core citizenship skill and part of curriculum. 

Yet, U.S. citizens continue to grapple with civil rights and true justice amongst groups and peoples in the United States. Most recently, we have been reminded of how far we have to go when it comes to equal treatment of Jewish and Muslim U.S. citizens and residents. Since October 7th when Hamas attacked Israel and Israel responded by attacking Gaza, there has been a spike in hate crimes against both constituencies (ADL, 2023; CAIR, 2023). We must remain vigilant against the forces of violence in our own society, even as our attention is turned toward one of the most alarming wars in the Middle East region in recent memory. 

During a time when U.S. citizens are polarized along partisan lines speaking about what's going on in Israel and Gaza, is made even more complex and challenging than it would normally be. The weight of these events lies especially heavily on Muslim and Jewish Faith communities, as well. It's critical as members of our society we become better citizens and neighbors by learning about the American experience from multiple perspectives as we reflect on America's role in the world. 

If you are a classroom teacher, the onus may feel like a heavier burden in these days. This is especially true if your students have been affected personally by the war or if they have connections to the region. If you're wondering what to say or how to go about offering support here is a way to start. You also might check our resources for learning about the conflict and gaining a better understanding of why the recent events occurred. 

Are you an educator thinking of the classroom? The San Diego County Office of Education has curated a page of useful resources for educators, regardless of the age of your students. This is also a useful reference for parents struggling with how to talk with their kids about the war. Please also checkout the videos and other resources below, under "Background Information." 

Background Information

For necessary background information on the current situation, faculty, students and staff at Ohio State University have produced many courses, webinars, and other resources. Check out our resources for learning about the conflict and gaining a better understanding of why the recent events occurred. You could start right away with this webinar on the "Violence in Israel and Gaza" that gives key background information for understanding what's going on. Hear perspectives from faith communities in Columbus, Ohio, in "Seeking Peace at Home: Central Ohio Faith Leaders Speak." For an in-depth history of the current war, watch The United States and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, Historical Perspectives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loIn8ZK-JMs You can also follow "A Brief Overview of the Current Israel-Hamas Conflict" that we will continue to update with additional resources. 

The University Classroom

Our identities shape the way we learn, especially about current events and history. The topic of violence brings the most challenging aspects of classroom conversations to the fore and challenges us to be better educators on many levels. It also reminds us of the importance of communication skills. The aforementioned  curated a page of useful resources is primarily for younger learners but many of the resources are relevant for learners of all ages. Professor Ori Yehudai shares his approach to teaching and leading discussions about Israeli and Palestinian perspectives during this time. In addition to the background information above, we recommend these guides and classroom resources for navigating these types of discussions in the university classroom:

• These modules from the Doha Debates give students a foundation in communication skills: https://dohadebates.com/course/better-conversations/
• These guidelines are a useful checklist for classroom discussions of controversial topics: https://crlt.umich.edu/publinks/generalguidelines
• These are the specific considerations for the topic of war: https://crlt.umich.edu/publinks/generalguidelines#war

To keep track of all of the events, courses, resources, and other ways of joining our learning community follow us on Facebook or Twitter - thank you so much for checking out these resources and we hope to see you at our events or online.

Sources:

ADL Records Dramatic Increase in U.S. Antisemitic Incidents Following Oct. 7 Hamas Massacre | ADL. (2023, Oct. 25). Retrieved December 4, 2023, from https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adl-records-dramatic-increase-us-antisemitic-incidents-following-oct-7

Better Conversations: A Deep Dive guide. (n.d.). Better Conversations: A Deep Dive Guide. Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://dohadebates.com/course/better-conversations/

CAIR Received 1,283 Complaints Over Past Month, an ‘Unprecedented’ Increase in Complaints of Islamophobia, Anti-Arab Bias. (2023, Nov. 9). https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-received-1283-complaints-over-past-month-an-unprecedented-increase-in-complaints-of-islamophobia-anti-arab-bias/

Guidelines for Discussing Difficult or High-Stakes Topics | CRLT. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://crlt.umich.edu/publinks/generalguidelines

Mershon Center (Director). (2023a, October 24). Violence in Israel and Gaza: What’s Going On? Webinar for Ohio State undergraduates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYwl44bZEAk

Mershon Center (Director). (2023b, December 4). Seeking Peace at Home: Central Ohio Faith Leaders Speak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBpVGWH-P9Q

The Nobel Peace Prize 1964. (n.d.). NobelPrize.Org. Retrieved December 4, 2023, from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/facts/

Origins OSU (Hahn). (2023, November 27). The United States and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, Historical Perspectives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loIn8ZK-JMs

Professors adjust to help students work through current conflict. (2023, November 6). https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2023/11/06/college-students-israel-hamas-war

Resources for Educators, Families to Discuss the Events in Israel and Gaza with Students. (2023, October 7). https://www.sdcoe.net/about-sdcoe/news/post/~board/news/post/resources-for-educators-families-to-discuss-the-events-in-israel-and-gaza-with-students