We are deeply troubled by a recently circulated video clip of Ismael Jimenez, Director of the Social Studies Curriculum for the School District of Philadelphia, speaking on a podcast with Citizen Stewart and Sharif El Mekki. In the video, Mr. Jimenez appears to rationalize the Hamas-led massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.

What makes this moment even more striking is the immediate response from Citizen Stewart, who offers a clear and moral rejection of such rhetoric: 

“If you can look at Israeli people being gunned down at a festival and think to yourself ‘well they somehow deserved it’… there’s something wrong with you. There’s just something wrong with you. Imagine you having nothing to do with any of this stuff being at a festival and being shot down or kidnapped.”

We couldn’t agree more. So let us ask directly:

Mr. Jimenez, do you believe the  350+ young people – many of them peace activists – murdered at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7 deserved their fate?  Do you justify the kidnapping of civilians, including elderly Holocaust Survivors and foreign nationals, who were taken simply for being present?

At this very moment, Hamas continues to hold  50 hostages, most of them innocent civilians.

And your public comments following attacks on American Jews in Washington, D.C., and Boulder – attacks that left three people dead and injured a dozen more — are equally chilling. In response, you posted: 

“The groups who align themselves with American savageness should not be surprised when the savageness is turned on you.”

This is not a thoughtful critique. This is a statement that appears to excuse or even condone violence. It sends a dangerous message to Jewish Philadelphians: that violence against them is to be expected. Words matter – especially from leaders who shape what our children learn. 

You have the constitutional right to express your views even when they are offensive.  But that does not absolve your employer – The School District of Philadelphia – of responsibility. In a time of heightened threats to Jewish communities, school leadership must take seriously any endorsement or rationalization of hate-fueled violence.  

Mr. Jimenez has made a pattern of denying the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, refusing to speak about peace or coexistence, and downplaying the lived experiences of Jewish people in the face of violence. These actions raise serious concerns about whether he can serve all students with integrity and respect. 

This is not about silencing dissent. It is about drawing a moral line.

To the School District: At what point does inaction become complicity?

We are watching. And we are waiting.

Endorsed by:

ADL Philadelphia
AJC Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey
Gratz College
Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
StandWithUs Mid-Atlantic
Weitzman Museum of National American Jewish History

About the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Since 1901, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has served as the hub of the region’s Jewish communities, providing an infrastructure of support for Jewish people and organizations in need. Through grants, emergency funding, restricted gifts, endowments, and our partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Day Schools, we annually invest in caring for those in need, combating antisemitism and global crisis, and securing a vibrant Jewish future. For more information, please visit: jewishphilly.org