This column was co-authored by Gail Hammerman and Paula Mann, Vice-Chair of Hadassah’s National Educators Council

Can you imagine being a parent and an educator, caught up in the maelstrom between mainstream education and a small group of parents with a focused book-banning agenda?

Book banning is on the rise throughout the US, with many libraries and schools as the targets. Who is driving it and to what end? How is it impacting our children’s learning and our communities? And what can we, particularly as educators and those interested in education, do to fight it?

Hadassah’s National Educators Council, which provides programming for educators, members and supporters, addressed this pressing issue in a recent program titled “Book Banning on the Rise: What Can We Do?”

As our mission statement states, “We seek to create a community of empowered educators who share a passion for learning and teaching. We will provide the resources needed to support Hadassah, Judaism, Zionism and Israel through education, networking, engagement and advocacy.”

Hadassah advocates for issues that support its mission and one important aspect of Hadassah’s mission is to confront antisemitism.

To the extent that books are being banned that specifically touch on Jewish themes or are written by Jewish authors, the ban reflects  Hadassah’s mission of combatting antisemitism. That the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman and Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman and illustrator David Polonsky are being banned is an example of antisemitic acts, which distort and deny the history of the Holocaust.

We learned from Hadassah’s recent Book Banning panel that there is a national movement to challenge our First Amendment rights through censorship. Groups who don’t agree with specific books located in school and public libraries have their own agenda and many librarians are being put in the forefront of this battle.

Did you know that some of the most popular and critically praised books of the past 150 years are being banned? Did you know that the list includes Charlotte’s Web, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, The Color Purple, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Handmaids Tale, The Bluest Eye, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, All Boys Aren’t Blue, Maus and many more.

One could say that there is an analogy between the 1930s book burning at the Bebel Platz in Berlin, Germany, to what is occurring today in America. Being denied a choice is censorship, which is what we are witnessing now.

Banning a book is outright censorship. A teacher or librarian can always offer an alternative to a child whose parent does not want him to read a particular book. The parent always has the right to say no to the original recommendation.

But no parent (or any group of people) has the right to stop all children from reading a particular book. Librarians and educators are trained to screen for developmentally appropriate books, geared to the students’ age group. Academic professionals need to be respected, and respectful constructive conversations need to occur.

Additionally problematic is the deeper agenda that has been unfolding in book banning. Books that reflect the diversity of our society are being attacked and banned – for example, books on inclusivity, LGBTQ+ minorities, life challenges and personal struggles. These books help children to deal with real-life situations. They offer life lessons, enabling students to learn about “the real world” as they read so they can make wise choices.

To advocate on behalf of saving our freedom of speech, being informed is paramount. Be aware of what is going on in your school and community libraries. Are librarians being fired, retired or transferred? Are libraries being shut down? What do you see happening in your local communities?

Please support the librarians in your school system and community public libraries. As our volunteer organization Hadassah suggests, get all the facts, identify the decision makers, find out their motives and come to understand the issues behind book banning. Then advocate!

Here are some ways you can do that:

Write letters and/or organize a letter-writing campaign.

Connect with like-minded groups and organizations.

Send your opinions to your local press through Letters to the Editor or op-ed submissions.

Attend rallies and marches.

Speak out in social media.

Attend and speak out at events/meetings of school boards, city councils, parent/teacher associations, town halls and community programs.

Contact stakeholders and elected officials (local, state and federal).

Run for your local school board or another office.

Sign up for Hadassah’s National Action Center.

What is at stake? The example we are setting for our younger generation and the impact censorship will have on our students’ education. We need to be vigilant about any legislation or any attempt at any level to ban books (local, state or federal).

Book banning affects our First Amendment rights, which are a cornerstone of democratic societies. According to the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, it is the right of every US citizen to be well-informed, with free access to all expression of ideas, all sides of an issue.

It’s not only about the books!

Your voice needs to be heard!

Gail is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Hadassah members are proud of their Zionist mission and their role as keepers of the flame of Jewish values, traditions and beliefs as well as advocating for women’s empowerment and health equity for all. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 800 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested in writing? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.

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