School administrators declined to change the destination.
By Shula Rosen
Parents of sixth-grade students in Greenwich, Connecticut, have asked the public school district to remove Israeli flags, yellow hostage ribbons and other displays from a Jewish summer camp in Massachusetts before an overnight field trip, arguing that the symbols could make some students uncomfortable.
The four-day, three-night annual trip will bring middle school students to Eisner Camp, a Jewish sleepaway camp affiliated with the Reform movement that also hosts programs for non-Jewish schools. Outdoor Classroom, which is running the field trip program, rents the camp’s facilities.
Concerns emerged after parents were shown a video in March featuring last year’s trip to give families an idea of what students could expect. Some families objected after seeing an Israeli flag displayed on a stage in the footage.
In a joint statement Tuesday, parents characterized displays visible in an orientation video as “political signage.”
They requested that the district arrange for the items to be taken down during the students’ visit or, “time permitting,” move the trip to a different location.
Parents said Israeli flags and yellow ribbons representing the hostages could make Palestinian students uncomfortable or offend families affected by the war in Gaza.
School administrators declined to change the destination and said the trip would proceed as scheduled without political or religious content.
The district said in a statement that the program promotes self-discovery, teamwork and adventure.
“We have listened to parents’ concerns, and we sincerely appreciate their sentiment. We will not take a political or religious stand,” the statement said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said temporarily removing flags or other displays would not address its concerns about the district’s selection of Eisner Camp.
The organization cited what it described as the camp’s ties to a youth training program in Israel run by the Israel Defense Forces.
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