JCRC/AJC welcomes Bloomfield Hills Schools Superintendent Pat Watson’s most recent letter regarding the antisemitic incident at Bloomfield Hills High School. Watson recognized serious mistakes were made, took ownership of what went wrong and committed to a number of corrective actions which we feel will be effective in making sure incidents like this will not occur again. We are particularly encouraged by the district’s commitment to plan and implement staff training to actively identify and address antisemitism. We’re hopeful this will help build a healthy educational environment free from hate.
This has been a difficult week for students, their families and many of our community members. We recognize that there is still hurt and anger in the community as a result of this incident. The harm caused cannot be assuaged solely through words and we look forward to meaningful change. The JCRC/AJC—along with the Jewish Federation, community rabbis, and the ADL—remains in constant communication with school and district administration and collectively we are taking steps to make sure the school follows through on their commitments.
As we head into Shabbat, a time of reflection spent with the people we love, we look forward to a future with greater understanding, tolerance and respect for our community, as well as for all people.
