Statement on New Draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum

Sacramento, CA — Senator Ben Allen (D - Santa Monica) and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D - Encino), Chair and Vice Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, released the following statement regarding the recent release of the new draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum:

“Over the past several weeks, we have consulted with dozens of Jewish community leaders and organizations and engaged in extensive dialogue around the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. While California’s Jewish community is incredibly diverse, and while many organizations—including the Jewish Caucus—are continuing to review the finer details of the curriculum, the broad consensus in the Jewish community is that the new draft addresses the most critical concerns raised by our community last year. Like the majority of Jewish community leaders and organizations, we are very encouraged that the updated draft does not include any content that is, or can be perceived as, antisemitic or anti-Israel. We applaud Superintendent Thurmond for his leadership as well as his firm commitment to ensuring that we have a curriculum that is free from inappropriate bias. We appreciate the efforts of all involved and look forward to continuing to work with Jewish community organizations, our legislative colleagues, and Superintendent Thurmond as we move forward through the rest of this process.”

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