Marjorie Gann, Program Chair of AJL-Canada
– participated in an AJL Zoom webinar on Sunday September 15.
The program — “Countering Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Propaganda in Children’s and Young Adult Literature and Educational Resources” — introduced attendees to the work of the Camera Education Institute. (CAMERA is short for Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.) Marjorie, who reviews anti-Israel children’s books for the organization, together with Karen Tal-Makhluf, CAMERA’s education analyst, demonstrated how anti-Israel ideology is reaching teachers and trickling down to students. Marjorie pointed to a marked increase in the number of children’s and young adult books, ostensibly about “Palestine,” that erase or malign Israel, and Karen showed how anti-Israel advocates use professional organizations to influence how teachers discuss the Arab-Israeli conflict in their classrooms. Ending the session on a more hopeful note, Karen highlighted several children’s books that present Israel in a positive light and displayed the many resources available on the Camera Education Institute website. She encouraged attendees to get in touch with CAMERA if they need help dealing with antisemitic indoctrination in publicly funded schools, libraries, and institutions. The program was sponsored by AJL’s SSCPL division.