School Name: Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School
Grades Served: K-12
Years of Participation: 2021-2022
ADL sat down with No Place for Hate coordinator Halaine Steinberg to learn more about how Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School is implementing No Place for Hate®.
1. Why did your school decide to participate in No Place for Hate?
Our school decided to participate in No Place for Hate after I introduced the idea through my involvement in ADL's anti-Bias training. Through the course Breaking Down Bias, I had begun to do activities with my own students to help them open their minds and hearts and to recognize the importance of making our school environment a place of acceptance and inclusion for our entire school population. This aligns with our Jewish values of B'tzelem elohim, which means everyone is created in the image of God and therefore should be valued and treated with respect. Our school leadership and teachers see this program as an opportunity to further emphasize that value in our school community.
2. How has your decision to participate in No Place for Hate impacted your school environment?
I believe our decision to participate has energized our school. Our level of awareness of the value of each individual in our community has definitely been spotlighted, and students are excited to participate in meaningful conversations. I think our teachers really appreciate the emphasis that the program places on kindness, inclusivity, and community—values that we have always emphasized at Beth Tfiloh. For example, we are discussing opportunities to align the values and activities of the program with activities and discussions around MLK Day and Holocaust Memorial Day in addition to other activities we are planning.
3. How do you engage students in leadership roles?
We have engaged our students in leadership roles by forming a committee for this project which includes at least two students from each grade level (9-12), who will take the lead in planning and implementing activities throughout the school year. In addition, this committee will work closely with our student leaders in our Student Government and our National Honor Society. Our goal is to have our student leaders engage our school population and get as many people as possible involved in our initiative. We have two students who had already started a "Be the Blessing" club, which encourages students to act upon the values inherent in the blessings they learn in their religious studies. We are hoping to align their objectives with our No Place for Hate initiative.
4. What advice would you give to other schools interested in pursuing No Place for Hate?
My advice to other schools would be to begin by forming a committee of people who are passionate about the values inherent in No Place for Hate and whose positive energy will ignite that same passion and excitement in others. Also, I would tell other schools to empower their faculty to infuse their classroom activities and lessons with these values, not only through what they teach, but by how they teach and how they engage their students in active learning. And, finally, I would advise other schools to see this program as a work in progress and embrace every positive change and spark of energy as one more step closer to making their schools truly No Place for Hate.