Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Public Schools Wednesday, November
30, 2016 10:57:16 PM
Subject:FW: Ad in Nov. 30 Newton TAB‐Confidential
To: david_fleishman@newton.k12.ma.us,internet
toby_romer@newton.k12.ma.us,internet Henry Turner (North)
Jonathan_Bassett@newton.k12.ma.us,internet jennifer_morrill@newton.k12.ma.us,internet
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David, Toby, Henry, John and Jen,
Sorry to bother you with this, but I got this email from a friend regarding an ad in today’s Tab (lower
right portion of page 3). Just wanted to give you a heads‐up (Henry, if you’re not familiar with this
nonsense then you are lucky to have Jon who can wax poetic about this garbage from the past few
years).
Just a heads‐up. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.
Matt
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
From: Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 7:13 PM
To: Matt Hills
Subject: Ad in Nov. 30 Newton TAB‐Confidential
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I wanted to call your attention to an ad on p. A3 lower R. about an
essay contest for Newton North (not South) students only for which entrants must submit "a list of all
(bold) teaching materials made available to you at school concerning the Palestinian‐Israeli issue...all
lesson plans, outlines, chapters in specific textbooks, handouts, homework or other work..."
This looks to me like a backdoor effort to amass "proof" of bias so that Charles Jacobs‐style advocacy
against NPS or at least against NNHS can be resumed.
See last few lines of ad. Joshua Resnek, a hard‐rightist and personally unpleasant journalist was
publisher/editor of the Jewish Journal of the North Shore, also circulating in Newton, before being
pushed out of there. He then, w/in past few months, founded (w/ a partner) the Chelsea Press to
publish Newton Voice and Brookline Voice, ostensibly general community newspapers. At least re the
Newton Voice, he has recently been pushing more and more Jewish‐related and Israel‐related material
into the paper, most of it right‐wing.
I have personal experience w/ the man and can tell you more if you wish. Ironically, though now
publishing here, he has in the past evinced a scornful attitude towards Newton as a whole and towards
Newton Jewry in particular.
Best,
From: "Jonathan Bassett" <Jonathan_Bassett@newton.k12.ma.us>,Newton.Public Schools
Thursday, December 01, 2016 9:21:23 AM
Subject:Re: FW: Ad in Nov. 30 Newton TAB‐Confidential
To: matt.hills@comcast.net,internet View in Browser
Cc: David Fleishman Toby Romer Henry Turner (North) Jennifer Morrill
Matt:
Thanks for sending this along. We noticed the ad yesterday. I don't think we need to do anything ‐ the
Newton Voice has the same free speech rights as anyone else, so they can sponsor an essay contest with
whatever terms they wish. And we have nothing to hide about our work here, so I'm not worried about
the results at all.
I did find certain aspects of the ad amusing. To wit:
‐The 200‐400 word limit. This gives students under two typewritten pages to address the Israeli‐
Palestinian crisis. Pretty funny!
‐The request for the listing of materials. We have enough trouble getting students to write a proper
bibliography for a small number of sources when we work with them in class ‐ the notion that a student
will find it easy to provide such a comprehensive listing is amusing to me.
‐The December 9 due date. Our tenth grade world history curriculum is expanding to include a unit
on the modern Middle East ‐ which will be taught in May.
Thanks again for your support, and I will certainly reach out if I think it's necessary.
Best,
Jonathan Bassett
History & Social Sciences Department Chair
Room 359
Newton North High School
Newton Teacher Residency Program Director
[ http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/ntr ]www.newton.k12.ma.us/ntr