Yesterday, the Lakewood School District held a round-table discussion with regards to the Blackface costume incident.
Students, staff, and community leaders participated in the meeting held via Zoom.
“One outcome has been a renewed resolve and emphasis on education,” said Michael Inzelbuch.
Watch the discussion below.
Two kids out of the 40,000 kids in Lakewood actually shows that the existing education is working well.
Will there be a roundtable everyone time a black person says something antisemitic?
I don’t recall reeducating the entire Jackson public school system when my wife and daughters had eggs thrown at them from a passing car being called Dirty Jews etc…..by a bunch of kids in Jackson…..
I’m offended by a culture that glorifies violence. Can we have a roundtable discussion every time a car goes by my house blaring obscenities AKA music?
I didn’t listen to this whole podcast, but this whole Political Correctness thing is just shtuss. I like and admire many black people, and I don’t think dressing up in Purim as a black, an Indian, a Chinese etc. is racial at all. It is done in fun with no intent to make fun of anyone. It is simply dressing up as something other than you really are. What about dressing Chassidish, when you are Jewish but, are more modern? Is that poking fun at fellow Jews? Should Chassidim be offended?
Can someone please explain to me what so offensive about dressing up like a blacks person?
Kids dress up like Trump Hillary and nationalities and no one says BOO, because it’s NOT offensive!
Why is dressing up like black people in peace and harmony yes offensive?
It seems there is an underlying insecurity. Perhaps the liberals who find it offensive should get a re-education in what it means to be human.
on the other hand, we find it offensive when people actually do offensive things, like throw eggs at Jews and call them derogatory names in a threatening manor. When officials discriminate because of race or religion, that is offensive.
I never recall a black person dressing up like a CHASSIDIC JEW in good spirit, and a Jew screaming anti semite, or it’s offensive, NEVER!!!!
We are living in a sick society. And unfortunately our elected officials buy into this FAKE NON SENSE.
You know what’s offensive about this? What’s offensive about this is that there are people who are running for personal reasons making a whole big deal out of this when really there’s nothing to make a big deal out of. Who cares! Oh my gosh! Why do some people feel the need to be offended about everything? Grow up!! That’s what we were told in our days, GROW UP!
Far too many people are the offended cops. If not for the one wacko who made a big deal about this, no one would know and it would never be anything. And now you have people like inzilbuch after pushing it and pushing it and pushing it.
No one meant anything by it. There was nothing offensive about it. I’m sorry when people want to act like whatever it is, you have to dress the part. They don’t own it. The same way if a black person who wanted to dress white or play the role of a white person, they would put on white face. Is that so bad? Heck no!
It’s time for people to stop being defended about every little stupid thing especially when there was nothing meant by it and it was nothing with nothing. And keeping in mind that nobody would know about it except for Miss Offended who sent it to somebody else because oh my Gd, someone’s going to be offended. This is all about nothing and they should be told it’s nothing with nothing. There’s nothing to worry about. There’s nothing to make a big deal about.
When Jackson will be worried about the Jackson Strong Anti-Semites, and Lakewood will put Marquis Oliver and his Anti-Semetic followers in line, then I’ll teach my kids about blackface. Until then they can sit down and shut up because I’m not wasting mine or my kids’ time on people that don’t give a —- about us.
I agree 100% with Tisa and Just me! What a joke and waste of time. And no of course there will be no round table meeting about the behavior of blacks on other races . Double standard of course , Lakewood school district cowards of course.
Was there a roundtable discussion when a middle age man unprovoked unloaded a vile, sick stream of anti-Semitic lies at me and threatened me near a store in Howell in front of other passing adults who not only didn’t stop him – but watched and laughed?
Was there a roundtable discussion when two crossing guards who work in front of a Lakewood Public School had a discussion in a LOUD voice as my clearly orthodox elementary age children walked by – discussing all the things they think are so terrible about the orthodox community??
My children were extremely shaken up and traumatized. Go explain to them that these people who they viewed as friendly “community helpers” – who work/volunteer for the Lakewood Board of Ed – are actually nasty, hateful anti-Semites.
I can keep going on. But you get the point…..I hope
The double standard is simple astounding.
Here you have a town of thousands upon thousands of people who dressed up and less than a handful of children wore a costume that they were UNAWARE was considered offensive. They had NO INTENTION to insult or degrade and yet it was turned into a major fiasco.
Yet every single day there are multiple INTENTIONAL vile, hateful, hurtful, degrading, offensive, damaging, libelous acts of anti-Semitism both in person and online yet there are no roundtable discussions.
געדענק גלות!
Had these children dressed up as one blackface and one a KKK member, or one as a slave and one as a plantation owner, then I would certainly understand if there was an outcry.
But its hard to understand the major ruckus when 2 or 3 children in pure naivety dressed up as something which reflects current events – with ZERO INTENTION to offend. In their mind it was the same as dressing up as Biden or Trump or Bernie Sanders etc. etc.
If my son is a sports fan, is it offensive if he dresses up as Michael Jordan? If my husband has great respect for MLK and his impressive accomplishments, is it offensive if he dresses up as him as a display of his respect for him? Now that I know that black face is considered offensive, I wouldn’t allow my son or husband to dress up these ways – even though the intention was not to insult, but rather the opposite – but I certainly can understand why some people were unaware why this costume would be considered offensive.
This is nuts!
Why are the higher ups in Lakewood feeding into the worlds crazyness.
They should have said that we dress up every year as different people, nationalities and object.
Just because the world is feeding into the black craziness does not give the Lakewood vaad and others the opportunity to bash Lakewood kids who decided to dress up like blacks just as other kids decided to dress up like chineese or indians.
Every one of your comments missed the point. Of course it wasn’t done with harmful intent! But that’s not the point.
The point of this discussion was for us to see that some people DO take offense and that’s why we, as yidden, should be MORE SENSITIVE to others (even if you don’t think they should be sensitive about it) and we should NOT dress in such a costume if others will feel bad. We are Rachmanim, and should be extra careful not to hurt others.
Everything else, even if correct, is irrelevant to this point.
Is it ok to dress up as Joe Biden – but not as Kamala Harris?
Is it ok to dress up as Ruth Bader Ginsburg – but not as Clarence Thomas?
Is it ok to dress up as Bill Clinton – but not as Barack Obama?
Is ok to dress up as Melania Trump – but not as Michelle Obama?
is it ok to dress up as Joe DiMaggio – but not as Jackie Robinson?
Is it ok to dress up as Billy Joel – but not as Stevie Wonder?
The African American community has plenty to be proud of. Why is offense taken when others dress up as them – especially in this case where there was no intention to offend?
I ask in sincerity.
I still don’t understand why it’s so offensive but comments above explained it all.
Bottom line it is considered racist to do blackface . That’s it!!! DONT DO IT!!! You wanna know why it’s an issue? Just google it and read the history. Ignorance is not an excuse!!!
In defense the media totally blew this story up for no reason!! We have 4 kids and their parents who made a horrible mistake. That is not a reason to take down the rest of the community like the media did here.
I apologise in advance but I believe this whole political correctnes is getting out of control soon we will not be able to drink black coffee eat brownie etcetra please stop the insanity.