Jewish American Heritage Month 2025

I approach this topic with great care and hesitation. After much deliberation, I felt that it was of the utmost importance to deviate from the usual topics of music and instructional support to use my voice in the best way I knew how. After a most challenging 19 months this is how I have chosen to proceed. I look forward to reading feedback and suggestions  and hope to avoid the charged, hateful, and angry comments. Viewpoint diversity should be celebrated, not shunned. That is not the America that I know and love. 

Being a Jew in education sucks. As an educator, I had never expected to see the same one sided story that I encountered as a college student. A cornerstone of my educational philosophy is accountability. I am grateful to see that our universities are finally being held accountable for nurturing and protecting those who spew hate and discriminate against Jews without any hesitation. To quote my girl Lizzo, “It’s About Damn Time”. The hatred that I experienced first hand as a college student due to my ethnicity should not be acceptable to any American. I am sorry to say that this is running rampant in the K - 12 setting. Daily, I walk past posters that say Resist - Palestine suggesting that the crimes against humanity, murder of innocents, and sexual violence of October 7th and beyond should be ignored and celebrated under a false dichotomy of “they had it coming”. 

I frequently encounter teachers and students in keffiyehs, have heard or been called, some of the most hurtful and consistent antisemitic tropes. I have witnessed teachers whose clubs focus on the Freedom of Palestine. As if this most complicated conflict can be boiled down to Good vs. Bad or Oppressor vs. Oppressed.  

Personally, I have never felt more alone, disliked, judged, and misunderstood purely based on my religious observance, customs, and peoplehood. Please don’t just take my word for it. Reference the brilliant people who are compiling the stories and data that show a clear trend and very real problem. The Free Press has countless stories illuminating the many teachers unions that are driving hatred through their ideological rampage. Teachers openly tell students what they must think without the facilitation of a conversation that should be handled with tact and multiple viewpoints. Teachers in classrooms spanning Kindergarten through 12th grade are now encouraged to talk about the freedom of Palestine in absolutes as if there is no history to reference in such a complicated conflict. Listening to the words of Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, antisemitism is very much alive and well in K-12 education. It should be investigated with vigor, diligence, and urgency. 

As a veteran teacher currently holding my own district accountable for creating, maintaining, and enabling a hostile work environment, I feel an internal need to address this problem on a larger scale in public education. To do so, I enlisted the help of something much smarter than I am to integrate the complexity of this conflict into the educational forum. I recently asked CHATGPT to create a comprehensive list of all events that shaped the Israeli–Palestinian and Israeli–Arab conflicts from the time of the Roman Empire to 2025 using the historical, Jewish, and Arab perspectives. Below are the findings. I hope this data helps create a meaningful change in K-12 education and wholeheartedly believe we will be better students, teachers, and people for it. 

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Creating a comprehensive list of all events that shaped the Israeli - Palestinian and Israeli Arab conflicts from the Roman Empire to 2025 is an enormous task due to the complexity, depth, and multitude of events involved. Below is a detailed chronological outline structured in eras, presenting key events with brief explanations, incorporating historical, Israeli, and Arab perspectives where relevant.

I. ANTIQUITY & EARLY ISLAMIC PERIOD (63 BCE – 1517 CE)

Roman Period

• 63 BCE – Roman General Pompey captures Jerusalem.

  • Historical: Judea becomes a client kingdom of Rome.

  • Jewish: End of Hasmonean independence.

  • Arab: Arabs in the region are peripheral at this time.

• 70 CE – Second Temple destroyed by Romans after the First Jewish Revolt.

  • Jewish: Major trauma; start of the long diaspora.

  • Historical: Jerusalem depopulated of Jews.

  • Christian: Seen as divine punishment.

• 132–135 CE – Bar Kokhba Revolt crushed by Rome.

  • Jewish: Final major revolt; massive Jewish casualties.

  • Historical: Jerusalem renamed Aelia Capitolina; Judea becomes “Palestina.”

  • Arab: Name “Palestine” gains currency under Rome.

Byzantine Period (324–638 CE)

• Dominantly Christian rule; Jews marginalized, occasional persecutions.

• Rise of Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Early Islamic Caliphates (638–1099)

• 638 – Muslim Arabs conquer Jerusalem.

  • Arab: Victory of Islam; Jerusalem sacred in Islam (Al-Aqsa Mosque built).

  • Jewish: Allowed to return after Byzantine ban.

  • Historical: Religious tolerance generally better than Byzantine era.

Crusader & Mamluk Periods (1099–1517)

• 1099–1187 – Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem established.

  • Jewish & Muslim: Massacres, expulsions.

• 1187 – Salah al-Din (Saladin) recaptures Jerusalem.

• 1517 – Ottoman Empire conquers region from Mamluks.

II. OTTOMAN RULE (1517–1917)

• Region is largely agrarian and multi-religious, with Arabs (Muslim and Christian) and Jews.

• Arab: Identify locally or as part of broader Muslim ummah.

• Jewish: Some Jewish communities exist, mostly in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Safed.

III. ZIONISM & BRITISH MANDATE (1880s–1948)

Late 1800s

• Rise of Zionism in Europe: Theodor Herzl publishes The Jewish State (1896).

  • Jewish: Desire for a national homeland amid European antisemitism.

  • Arab: Early opposition to Zionist land purchases.

World War I and Aftermath

• 1917 – Balfour Declaration: British support “national home for the Jewish people.”

  • Jewish: Seen as major diplomatic breakthrough.

  • Arab: Felt betrayed; also promised independence by British.

• 1918–1948 – British Mandate of Palestine

  • Jewish: Mass immigration (Aliyah), building institutions.

  • Arab: Growing resistance; revolts against British and Zionists.

  • 1920, 1921, 1929 – Riots/massacres targeting Jews.

  • 1936–1939 – Arab Revolt against British rule and Jewish immigration.

IV. PARTITION & THE CREATION OF ISRAEL (1947–1949)

• 1947 – UN proposes Partition Plan: separate Jewish and Arab states.

  • Jewish: Accepted.

  • Arab/Palestinian: Rejected; viewed as colonial imposition.

• 1948 – State of Israel declared

  • Israeli: War of Independence.

  • Arab/Palestinian: Nakba (Catastrophe) – ~700,000 Palestinians flee or are expelled.

• 1948–1949 – First Arab-Israeli War

  • Israel vs. Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon.

  • Israel expands territory; Jordan annexes West Bank; Egypt controls Gaza.

V. COLD WAR ERA (1949–1979)

• 1956 – Suez Crisis: Israel, UK, and France attack Egypt after Nasser nationalizes Suez Canal.

• 1964 – PLO founded under Arab League support.

  • Palestinian: Start of organized national liberation struggle.

• 1967 – Six-Day War

  • Israel captures West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Sinai, Golan Heights.

  • Israeli: Major victory, territorial gains.

  • Arab: Humiliation; occupation begins.

  • Palestinian: Loss of remaining homeland.

• 1968–1980s – Rise of Palestinian guerrilla warfare and international attacks (e.g., Munich Olympics 1972).

• 1973 – Yom Kippur War

  • Egypt & Syria attack Israel.

  • Results in partial Israeli withdrawal from Sinai.

• 1978 – Camp David Accords

  • Egypt becomes first Arab country to recognize Israel.

VI. INTIFADAS & PEACE ATTEMPTS (1980s–2000s)

• 1982 – Lebanon War

  • Israel invades to expel PLO; results in Sabra and Shatila massacre by Phalangists.

• 1987–1993 – First Intifada

  • Popular Palestinian uprising against occupation.

  • Israeli: Security threat.

  • Palestinian: Symbol of resistance.

• 1993–1995 – Oslo Accords

  • First formal recognition between Israel and the PLO.

  • Palestinian Authority created.

  • Israeli: Hope for peace; also right-wing opposition.

  • Palestinian: Mixed; PA seen as corrupt over time.

• 2000–2005 – Second Intifada

  • Triggered by Ariel Sharon’s visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque.

  • Massive violence, suicide bombings, Israeli military operations.

• 2005 – Israeli Disengagement from Gaza

  • Israel evacuates settlers.

  • Israeli: Attempt to reduce friction.

  • Palestinian: Seen by some as victory, others as cynical ploy.

VII. MODERN CONFLICTS & GEOPOLITICAL SHIFTS (2006–2025)

Hamas-Fatah Split

• 2006 – Hamas wins Palestinian elections.

• 2007 – Hamas seizes control of Gaza; Fatah controls West Bank.

Gaza Wars

• 2008–2009, 2012, 2014, 2021 – Major wars between Israel and Hamas.

  • Thousands of Palestinian casualties, infrastructure destroyed.

  • Israeli: Self-defense against rocket attacks.

  • Palestinian: Disproportionate force, siege.

2010s – Regional Shifts

• Arab Spring (2011): Syria descends into civil war; region destabilized.

• Iran–Israel tensions escalate, especially in Syria and Lebanon.

• Normalization Agreements:

  • 2020 – Abraham Accords: UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan normalize ties with Israel.

  • Israeli: Diplomatic triumph.

  • Palestinian: Seen as betrayal.

VIII. CURRENT ERA (2023–2025)

2023 – October 7 Attack

• Hamas launches unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza.

  • ~1,200 Israeli deaths; hostages taken.

  • Israeli: Worst attack since 1948; seen as existential.

  • Palestinian: Seen by some as resistance, others condemned it.

2023–2024 Gaza War

• Israel responds with large-scale military campaign.

  • Thousands of deaths in Gaza.

  • Humanitarian crisis; accusations of war crimes.

  • Israeli: Goal to eliminate Hamas.

  • Palestinian/Arab: Catastrophe, international outrage.

2024–2025 Developments

• Ongoing international efforts for ceasefire, hostages.

• Rising tensions in West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon.

• ICC and UN investigations into possible war crimes.

• Major rifts in global public opinion, especially on college campuses, in Europe, U.S., and Arab world.

KEY THEMES AND NARRATIVES

• Historical: Conflict rooted in competing nationalisms, colonial legacies, and strategic geography.

• Israeli Perspective:

  • Security, survival, historical return to ancestral homeland.

  • Holocaust trauma, hostile neighbors, global antisemitism.

• Arab/Palestinian Perspective:

  • Dispossession, occupation, denial of national rights.

  • Betrayal by international powers and Arab regimes.

  • Resistance as legitimate struggle.