Dear Neighbors:
I hope you enjoyed a World Series for the ages, reminding me of the epic contest between the Red Sox and the Cincinatti Reds 50 years ago. In this week’s letter, I will discuss a recent anti-Semitic incident that took place in Smithfield, and the core values at stake.
A. The Incident
As reported in The Providence Journal and elsewhere, the mother of a Jewish member of the Smithfield High School football time recently informed the Jewish Alliance that five of his teammates trapped him in a bathroom and sprayed him with Lysol while yelling antisemitic slurs. The Superintendent told the Alliance that the five players had been expelled permanently from the team, but the Alliance learned that they were later reinstated to play in the next football game. The Superintendent declined to explain the reasons for reinstatement.
B. Rhode Island’s Core Values
As Rhode Islanders, we are blessed to live in the cradle of American religious freedom, the place where Roger Williams established in 1636 a settlement devoted to liberty of conscience. We are doubly blessed to be the birthplace of our country’s warm acceptance of its Jewish community. In 1790, President George Washington wrote a Letter to the Jewish congregation of Newport, in which he wished that “the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” (See Micah 4:4)
C. The Role Of Public Education
Unfortunately, in recent years incidents of hatred and anti-Semitism have increased both nationally and in Rhode Island, to the point where many synagogues (including my own) need to hire security guards to protect their congregants.
In these days, our public schools can and must play an important role in promoting a better future. Many young Rhode Islanders (myself included years ago) learn about our State’s special heritage in middle school and high school history class. In 2016, Rhode Island codified into law a requirement that all middle and high schools include a unit of study on the Holocaust. In this way, our public schools provide our children the opportunity not only to gain the knowledge and skills needed for a successful career, but also to collaborate in a shared enterprise to learn and live by our country’s highest ideals.
D. Smithfield’s Tragedy
It is painful to see how, in this incident, some of our highest ideals were grievously betrayed. What hurts even more is that the betrayal took place within a public high school setting. Even worse, it appears that the school administration, when provided with the opportunity to affirm and protect those values, failed in their task. Sadly, as Smithfield Town Council President Tassoni noted at a recent press conference, this recent incident is not an isolated one as Smithfield struggles with its prior connections to the Ku Klux Klan. This is not the America of Roger Williams and George Washington.
E. Community Response
The incident has brought many groups together to protest and advocate for accountability. At Thursday’s press conference organized by the Jewish Alliance, I joined a group of supporters that included Smithfield Town Council member Thomas Winfield and President Tassoni, state legislators and a broad delegation of faith leaders across many denominations. I am particularly proud of my Senate colleague David Tikoian, a former co-captain of the Smithfield High School football team, who stated “[t]his is not the Smithfield I love and know. Hazing and antisemitism in any form should not and will not be tolerated, period.”
F. Next Steps
The Smithfield School Committee will meet tomorrow (Monday) night to review how the Superintendent handled this incident. The parents of the Jewish football player reported the incident to the Smithfield Police Department and to the Attorney General, who has opened a civil rights investigation. A Smithfield student and his family are seeking justice. The State of Rhode Island is watching the Town of Smithfield.
Our State Flag features the word “Hope.” Even with all that has gone so badly so far, there is still time for the Smithfield School Department and School Committee to right this wrong and, in the process, make it a “teachable moment” to renew the American values embodied by Roger Williams and George Washington.