The administration’s response to the recent events unfolding in Israel has made me wonder whether the values of Andover align with mine and whether I should remain at this school.
On October 7, Israel experienced the worst loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. Hamas is a recognized terrorist organization according to the State Department. They launched a coordinated and unprovoked attack that targeted women, children, and the elderly. While devastating and shocking to many, this event has had a massive impact on the Jewish community around the world. Our safety has been shattered, the future of Israel is uncertain, and most of all it has pulled back the veil on a global disdain for Jews and their right to live in peace in Israel.
Amidst horror and fear for the future, I was looking for comfort and reassurance from the administration of Andover that hate, like we saw on October 7, would not be tolerated. Each morning I would wake up and check my email for a written statement from Dr. Raynard Kington recognizing the attack and conveying support for the Jewish community. Unfortunately, each morning I would leave for class disappointed that no such communication came.
Rabbi Greenberg quickly reached out to the Jewish students offering support, and for this I am grateful. The Rabbi also held a prayer Vigil which was sparsely attended and I did not see Dr. Kington there. I had to ask myself if he even cared. Is he aligned with those who believe that this attack was a warped form of justice for people living in a country with a complicated land history? All countries exist with a complicated history, as the school’s frequent land acknowledgements should remind us. Confused and worried, I reached out directly to the leaders of the school, by emailing Dr. Kington, Dr. Susan Esty, and Dr. Merrilee Mardon together. Dr. Esty and Dr. Mardon both gave me the courtesy of a reply and an offer to meet, but it was made clear to me that Dr. Kington makes the final decision for releasing official written school statements. Unlike the statement at All-School Meeting or the email from the Chaplains, official written school statements go out to a much larger audience affecting a much larger community.
After being ignored by Dr. Kington for the better part of the week, I reached out yet again. I asked him to “break his silence” and for a response. I was finally granted a meeting where I was able to ask the simple question: “Why does the school stay silent after the murder of more than a 1,000 Jews, but makes written statements about many other issues, for example the the murders of Asians in Georgia in 2021 and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020?” Setting aside the long history of the conflict, the day of October 7 itself was a terrorist attack.
Dr. Kington explained that the school has a new policy. My understanding is that due to so many requests for statements, the school has created this criteria for issuing written messages along the lines of: the school will only make such statements when it directly affects the students, and impacts the mission of the academy.
In my meetings with Dr. Mardon and Dr. Esty I came away with no clear understanding of a new policy. Even with this policy – which has never been announced to students — wouldn’t the terror unleashed on the Jewish community clearly fit the criteria for a written statement? According to MSNBC, the proportion of deaths adjusted for population caused by the attack would be the equivalent of 40,000 U.S. citizens. A terrorist attack on a scale much larger than 9/11 when adjusted for scale clearly affects the entire Jewish population, as well as the community as a whole. On top of the attack the former leader of Hamas called for a “Day of Global Jihad” to be launched on October 13 against Jewish and Israeli people around the world leaving every Jewish person to wonder what they would wake up to the next morning. To think that this attack and looming threat supposedly does not directly affect the students, and the mission of the academy is perplexing. According to the 2023 State of the Academy survey, just over six percent of the student population at the Academy is Jewish.
I am not alone in my belief that important institutions have a duty to take a stand on monumental issues like what happened last weekend, and there have been myriad published pieces to this effect over the past week. To me, a reluctance to issue a written statement feels akin to condoning or justifying terrorism and hatred of Jews. This silence mirrors the build-up to the Holocaust, and everyone should be wondering whether it is purely accidental or follows the overall trend of erasing Jews from important institutions? It feels like the plight of the Jews is not popular in academia.
In my meeting with Dr. Kington, I conveyed my belief that silence is compliant and anti-semitic. This statement was admittedly harsh but appropriately reflects how passionately I feel about the issue. From my perspective, Dr. Kington’s inaction shows his lack of care regarding the murder and attack of Jewish people as much as he has cared about the lived experiences of numerous other ethnic groups as long as I have been here. I explained that he is on the wrong side of history. I expressed that his lack of care makes me wonder if Andover is the right place for me. He replied with a dismissive statement. I left my meeting with Dr. Kington with a feeling that he was agitated to have to meet with me. I walked away knowing that I would not be comfortable sending a child to a school that he is the head of.
My immature self wants to pack up my stuff and leave tomorrow. But my mature self knows that there is value in staying and supporting the Jewish community here and continuing to make my voice heard. My decision is this: I will stay.
Editor’s Note: To read a full description about Dr. Kington’s policy on issuing written statements, find his “Letter to the Editor” on A2 which was sent to The Phillipian on Wednesday.
