The Jersey City Board of Education plans to call a special meeting to vote on a resolution condemning a trustee for allegedly yelling “from the River to the Sea” during a meeting last week.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
The alleged remarks from Trustee Younass Barkouch, who is Muslim, came during the April 25th board meeting as they recognized National Arab American Heritage Month with a presentation and student performances.
The recording of the nearly six-hour meeting does not pick up audio of anything along those lines, which many have equated to a call for the destruction of the majority Jewish State of Israel, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
However, Barkouch can me seen shouting something to students as they walk off stage a little over 42 minutes into the meeting, after their performances concluded and took pictures with district officials.
Nonetheless, Jersey City Board of Education President Dejon Morris insists Barkouch shouted “from the River to the Sea” and he plans to hold him accountable for it.
“We denounce that statement … I, as the president and the board, we do not endorse that statement at all,” he declared, noting that Congress passed a resolution deeming the phrase anti-Semitic and condemning its usage.
Morris explained he is calling for a special meeting specifically to vote on a resolution denouncing the situation, tentatively scheduled for May 14th.
“It was unfortunate he made that statement. We should never use youth for personal views or political views. That was very unbecoming of a trustee.”
He continued that the Jersey City BOE is very diverse, where each culture must be respected, and that the employees and trustees are supposed to be neutral on foreign affairs.
Trustee Afaf Muhammad concurred with Morris’ interpretation of events.
“That’s unacceptable … We didn’t know what was happening, so we couldn’t address it. That was very inappropriate, ” she noted, adding that she would support Morris’ call for a special meeting and the subsequent resolution.
On Monday, April 29th, the Jersey City Jewish Association sent a letter to the Board of Education asking the board to condemn his remark, as well as seeking an apology.
“We urge the BOE president, as the spokesperson for the board, to issue a statement denouncing this behavior and clarifying that it does not align with the BOE’s views,” Julia Ben Shalom, Robyn Grodner, Stacey Gemma, Lynn Hazan, Carole Maupin, and Tal Schuster wrote.
“Additionally, we request an apology for the use of anti-Semitic language. This type of language and behavior has the potential to incite unrest and jeopardize the safety and multicultural balance of our diverse educational system. There is no justification for promoting unrest within our schools.”
Barkouch, who has said he was removed as vice president for pushing the board to recognize Eid on the correct day, declined to comment on Wednesday, but sent a statement to HCV late this afternoon.
“I want to address the recent controversy surrounding my use of the phrase ‘from the River to the Sea’ during the board meeting. While I regret any misunderstanding, I want to clarify that my intention was to advocate for the freedom, human rights, and safety of innocent Palestinian civilians who reside between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and who are victims in Benjamin Netanyahu’s pointless war,” he said in a statement.
“I have recently taken the time to research the historical context of the phrase and apologize for not considering how it may have been be perceived by certain members of the Jewish community. Moving forward, I am committed to the ongoing goal of promoting dialogue and reconciliation efforts to build a more inclusive and equitable community for all.”
Additionally, during this April 17th appearance on HCV Live & Uncut, he corroborated Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh’s account of his confrontation with Morris at an Iftar dinner last month, further stating that he believes Morris should be removed as president.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from Jersey City BOE Trustee Younass Barkouch.