News
For Immediate Release: September 12, 2011
Contact: Rabbi Jim Brandt, (510) 318-6401;
Rabbi Doug Kahn (415) 977-7411
Jewish Community Applauds Children’s Art Museum’s Decision on Exhibit
On behalf of the organized East Bay Jewish community, Jewish Federation of the East Bay and the East Bay Jewish Community Relations Council, joined by the Anti-Defamation League, applaud the decision of the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland (MOCHA) to cancel the scheduled “Child’s View from Gaza” exhibit.
The exhibit, sponsored by a well-known political advocacy organization, contains violent images that demonize and dehumanize an entire ethnic and religious population. A biased, one-sided perspective filled with depictions of violence has no place in a community-based museum dedicated to serving young children, including three, four and five year olds. The museum’s leadership recognized the negative effect that this inflammatory exhibit would have on young children, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. Furthermore, the museum recognized that the exhibit was incompatible with its core mission of instilling a love of art among Oakland’s diverse children’s population and could potentially create an unsafe atmosphere for Jewish children.
This exhibit constitutes propaganda aimed at indoctrinating our children under the guise of art. There is no context given to understand the complex issues facing Israel and the Palestinians. And, there is no recognition that Israeli as well as Palestinian children are the continuing victims of the conflict.
The museum is a valued institution in our community, playing a unique role. The decision of MOCHA’s board should be supported by all who are committed to serving the interests of our community’s youngest members and want to build bridges between people.
###