Superintendent Tom Horne will testify to the House committee addressing the growing number of antisemitic incidents in Arizona’s schools.
On Tuesday around 9 am, Horne will address the House Ad Hoc Committee on Antisemitism in Education from experience as the only Jewish elected official statewide, and as the son of Jewish parents who narrowly escaped the Holocaust.
Last month, Horne responded to an incident at a Scottsdale high school club presenting information that depicted Israel as the aggressor and Hamas as a victim “retaliating” concerning the October 7 terrorist attack. Hamas murdered over 1,400 civilians overnight. Horne likened the terrorist organization’s tactics to those of the Nazis.
Horne further warned public schools to avoid materials provided by UNICEF and Amnesty International, which he said were antisemitic and anti-American.
“They copied the Nazi technique of setting fire to houses so that people would burn to death, or if they came out of the fire house, killed them upon their exit,” said Horne. “The actions of Hamas are a repetition of what happened during World War II.”
The controversial presentation declared that identifying actors like Hamas as a “terrorist” organization constitutes dehumanization. The federal government has long designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization.
“When parents came to me and said their children were experiencing hatred and were scared to go to school, I couldn’t stay silent,” said Horne. “I will always speak out to protect our most innocent. SOS continues to spread misinformation, and I look forward to exposing many of their lies soon.”
When parents came to me and said their children were experiencing hatred and were scared to go to school, I couldn't stay silent. I will always speak out to protect our most innocent. SOS continues to spread misinformation, and I look forward to exposing many of their lies soon. https://t.co/vSjpkuLslt
— SPI Tom Horne (@RealTomHorne) November 27, 2023
Students also planned to stage a walkout from school and wear pro-Hamas attire (keffiyehs and black armbands) in a show of support for Hamas. However, school leadership put a stop to it with the threat of applying the student code of conduct and state law prohibiting disruptions to educational institutions.
The students received their marching orders from national pro-Palestine and progressive activist groups including the Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students for Justice in Palestine, Answer Coalition, The People’s Forum, and International Peoples’ Assembly.
Horne also encouraged schools to bar antisemitic groups from activity on their campuses.
Superintendent Horne encourages all schools to keep antisemitic groups off their campuses. Students should feel safe on campus, and this rhetoric is dangerous. #EducationForAll https://t.co/vQTmw0aErr
— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) November 9, 2023
Horne’s parents fled Poland in 1938 based on his father’s suspicion that the Nazis would invade Poland. The Horne family resettled in Canada, where Horne was born, prior to gaining legal entry into the U.S.
Pro-Hamas activism has some overlap with certain progressive activist groups. Horne’s administration noted that such was the case for Arizona Save Our Schools (AZSOS), which has been consistently advocating for the end to the state’s school choice program.
Superintendent Horne is pushing back against @arizona_sos lies. No ESA parent has been reimbursed to buy a $500 Star Wars Lego set, which is a fake photo put out by SOS. They spread pro Hamas propoganda and disregarded the concerns of Jewish students. https://t.co/Mz5EvhCEXQ
— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) November 29, 2023