Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Brilliant or Crazy? Jewish Principal Appointed for Brooklyn's Arabic School

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced Monday the appointment of Danielle Salzberg as interim acting principal of Khalil Gibran International Academy in Boerum Hill, the first Arabic-themed school in New York City, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

The school’s original principal and a main founder, Debbie Almontaser (who is Arabic) turned in her resignation Friday after appearing to support a group that printed up "Intifada NYC" T-shirts.

Conservative web sites and right-leaning newspapers (the New York Sun and now the Post), along with a group calling itself "Stop the Madrassa" and Assemblyman Dov Hikind have been calling on the Department of Education to shut the school down.

The appointment of a Jewish principal could be a brilliant move on Klein's part. According to the DOE, Salzberg has been working with the school all along, and according to the Eagle story, the Arab-American Family Support Center fully supports Ms. Salzberg.

The Post's Andrea Peyser says, however, "This might be the worst joke ever to hit Brooklyn."

Brilliant? Or crazy?

- Brooklyn's Arabic School Principal Resigns in "I-Word" Flap
- Arabic-Themed School Finds a Home
- DOE to 'Cram' Arabic-Themed School into Park Slope Elementry School

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Only in New York would a Jewish principal lead an Arabic school. (Of course, only in New York is there an Arabic school!)

Anonymous said...

Only jews and only jews make nyc run at its best. but you know what we jews cant be self destructive to ourselves in order to help terrorism to take over and kill our future generation. This actually goes out to a little tiny and only homeland to Jews is called Israel. Our Jewish leadership (in Israel) lacks intelligence, self-confidence and protection of our own people. Instead of our leaders betray Jews in order to appease cowards.

Benyamin (Brooklyn)

Anonymous said...

I believe the NY Post will be quite ashamed of itself and its stand on this in a few years, looking back.