Schools grapple with discussions about war between Israel and Hamas

At least one Jewish school in Ottawa addressed the war between Israel and Hamas right away.

"We actually had a special assembly," said Aryeh Kravetz, rabbi and dean of Judaic studies at Torah Day School of Ottawa.

"We sang together and we were able to support each other and be there for one another."

Kravetz told CBC Radio's All In A Day that the school called a gathering of parents and students, and held a prayer.

That approach is one among many, as schools in Ottawa are grappling with how best to address the Israel-Hamas war while supporting the wellbeing of students.

Some parents are praising recent efforts to keep learning environments safe, but advocates for Muslim students say other boards across the country are failing to properly address incidents of Islamophobia stemming from the conflict.

A 'delicate dance'

The Ottawa Jewish Community School said it developed age-appropriate activities to provide information to students.

It also held a town hall on the first day back after the Thanksgiving weekend and is offering mental health support staff.

"The delicate dance we do each day is to figure out how to give enough space to it [the war] so that our students can ask questions, can find that information, can feel useful, can reflect, can share to pray, to be together," said Dr. Jon Mitzmacher, who heads the school.

"And how much space do we give for children to be children and to learn and to have fun to do the things that they need to do."

Both the Jewish community school and Torah day school have upped security around their buildings.

OCDSB starts online support groups

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is hosting support groups for both Jewish and Muslim students in Grades 7-12, according to a news release.

The board is "monitoring for and addressing antisemitic, Islamophobia, or other hate-based activity," it said.

CBC requested more details on the program but did not receive a response in time for publication.

"I actually would like to come to commend the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for putting this together so quickly," said David Baker, parent of a Grade 12 student in an OCDSB school. "It's something that's definitely needed."

Baker's son was the victim of an anti-semitic attack at his school in 2022, and said the thought of another one has been top of mind since the conflict erupted.

He said his son has been safe at school since, and he hopes the new support groups give students space to process the situation.

Muslim students left out, advocate says

The National Council of Canadian Muslims agrees that support groups are a good first step, but it's disappointed with the way many school boards across the country have handled communication around the conflict.

"Some statements only talked about the harm and hurt that Israeli and Jewish communities were facing, which of course is important to note," said Aasiyah Khan, the council's director of education and interim chief operating officer.

"But we do also need to acknowledge that there is a grief that's also cutting through the Palestinian students in your class as well as the Muslim students in your class."

Khan said a lack of that acknowledgement has led to Muslim parents having difficult conversations with schools about the safety of their children.

The council is getting hourly calls from parents for advice, she said, and is receiving more reports of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism since the war broke out.

Those reports are coming from across the country, Khan said, but the majority are in Ontario, including some from Ottawa.

"Students are actually being questioned or being asked to ... condemn particular acts that of course they have nothing to do with," Khan said.

She said staff are coming to her with reports of overt harassment, which has made them feel like they did after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. And they're noticing a "drastic increase" in people feeling generally unsafe in education spaces.

Khan said educators need to be better equipped to talk about these issues and better educated on the history of the region. She would also like to see more resources about Palestinians because anti-Palestinian sentiment is a specific problem, in addition to Islamophobia.