On JPAC Advocacy for an Improved Ethnic Studies Curriculum

Friday, February 5, 2021

In recent days, several articles have appeared about the proposed Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum in California. Some include inaccuracies and misrepresentations of the plan’s current state and ignore the vital advocacy work that the Jewish Public Affairs Committee (JPAC), the largest single-state alliance of Jewish organizations in the United States, and others accomplished during the past 18 months.

Recent misleading articles included excerpts from a first draft of the model curriculum that are no longer present in its current state, false and out-of-context references in the lesson plans on Jewish Americans and failure to properly present a full and accurate timeline, scope of advocacy work, and achievements by our diverse coalition of Jewish organizations across the state. Other news articles incorrectly referred to one of the lesson plans on Jewish Americans as echoing Nazi propaganda and characterizing Jews as imposters in plain sight.