Citing safety concerns, the superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District froze a plan Thursday to fly the Israeli flag at school campuses for one month every year.
The district’s Board of Education voted 3-2 on Tuesday to display the Israeli flag during the month of May each year to mark Jewish Heritage Month. The measure was part of a resolution aimed at combating antisemitism with a mix of Holocaust education, lessons on Jewish history and remembrance of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
The move was met with opposition from some who worried that it appeared to favor one religion, and one nation currently engaged in a war in Gaza in which many Palestinian civilians have been killed.
In a statement Thursday, BHUSD Superintendent Alex Cherniss said that “in light of heightened safety concerns around the displaying of flags on our campuses,” he was issuing a directive that “until further notice, no flags will be displayed on our campuses other than the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the state of California.”
Cherniss said he was taking the action in accordance with a board policy that allows him to do so “to avoid any risk to the safety or security of students, staff or district property or to prevent disruption of school operations.”
During Tuesday’s Board of Education debate on the matter, board member Rachelle Marcus said she was concerned that displaying the Israeli flag would make schools a target. Board member Amanda Stern said “partisan material” such as a national flag does not belong in a public school resolution.
But board member Russell Stewart said the flag display is “not against anyone. It is in support of our Jewish students and the Jewish community.”
Beverly Hills Vice Mayor John Mirisch attended the meeting in support of the move, saying, “This should be a no-brainer for a school district that represents one of the only Jewish-majority communities outside of Israel.”
Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned the flag proposal, saying it “conflates Jewish faith and identity with the political actions of a foreign government and undermines the inclusive and respectful environment that public schools are meant to foster for all students, regardless of their background.”