Responding to Gaza

1 November 2023

 

Dear Cathedral School Parents:

 

This past July, Father Timothy led members of our community on a trip to the Holy Land. The purpose of the trip was to experience and, through a process of education and immersion, begin to understand one of the world’s most sacred and complicated regions.

 

To this end, the group visited Israeli and Palestinian neighborhoods and engaged in conversations with citizens and religious leaders. One of the questions most frequently posed — throughout the day in quiet conversation and when gathered as a group to reflect each evening — was how people living with such seemingly intractable differences and in such regular conflict might achieve peace. The answer remains both laudable and elusive.

 

The people of that region, and those associated with it, now find themselves suffering through one of the most horrific sequences of events that the world has witnessed in recent times. Innocent Israelis have been kidnapped, brutalized, and murdered; innocent Palestinians have been killed and displaced. To articulate the promotion of peace, while always essential, feels both hollow and futile right now. And yet, peace must remain the objective.

 

One of the most vexing positional challenges for institutions, for leaders, and for letters in responding to Gaza has been the forced dichotomy that has emerged in public discourse. One can’t stand with Israel, some argue, if you acknowledge the plight of Palestinians. One can’t empathize with the Palestinian plight, others argue, if you acknowledge the atrocities inflicted by Hamas. I think we must do both. We must condemn the heinous acts of terrorism conducted by Hamas that have resulted in the kidnapping and murder of innocent Israelis. At the same time, we must also recognize that innocent Palestinians are being killed and displaced.

 

One of the most enduring attributes of Episcopal schools is that we strive to unite people in the face of differences. Sometimes these differences are faint; sometimes they are adverse. Regardless of their degree, we have a responsibility to endeavor, with all our heart, to educate young men and women who can operate in a diverse, a complicated, and, sometimes, a violent world in ways that bridge rather than divide, and in ways that promote peace rather than buttress brutality. That effort is mandated by our Mission, and it is mandated by our philosophy.

 

We recognize that as members of a diverse community we are all experiencing this conflict and its reverberations in different ways, and some more acutely than others. Yet, in all the world’s religious traditions, there stands the necessity of safety and of peace. In the words of our tradition, we seek the “recognition of human dignity” in all people.

 

Certainly, I appreciate how vacuous words may land at a time like this. However, all schools are morally bound, I feel, to pursue such efforts with vigor if we are to develop citizens and leaders capable of and committed to resolving our world’s most devastating problems. This is true at all times, and it is especially true now.

 

Our older boys have had opportunities in the classroom, Affinity spaces, and Chapel to recognize and better understand the current unrest, and, moving forward, there will also be occasions for adults — staff and parents — to gather, to process, and to heal. Cathedral School for Boys is steadfast in our commitment to the Episcopal values of inclusion, compassion, and learning. We are committed to supporting our community through the heaviness of the months to come and helping our boys process the world in ways that enhance their understanding of leadership amidst the most complex situations, global conflicts, and adversities.

 

There are times when world events reinforce why I have chosen to devote my life to working with kids. This is one of those times. Maybe for us all, if nothing else, the last few weeks compel us to come to terms with all that we have going on in our own lives and recognize the responsibilities that we all owe to one another.

 

In the face of this devastation, it is essential that we remain committed to our call to be peacemakers and to instill in our children the faith in the promise of a better world.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Burns Jones

Head of School