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<br />Flores, Dora
<br />From:Tracey Shipley <traceyshipley125@gmail.com>
<br />Sent:Sunday, January
<br />To:teren.shaffer@ocsarts.net; gregory.endelman@ocsarts.net;
<br />michael.ciecek@ocsarts.net; becca.freeland@ocsarts.net; maria.lazarova@ocsarts.net;
<br />kim.lyons@ocsarts.net; abbe.levine@ocsarts.net; gary.humphreys@ocsarts.net;
<br />halim.dhanidina@ocsarts.net; jessica.herthel@ocsarts.net; paul.satkin@ocsarts.net;
<br />vince.foley@ocsarts.net
<br />Cc:Amezcua, Valerie; Vazquez, Benjamin; Lopez, Jessie; Penaloza, David
<br />Subject:Keep the Keffiyeh out of our Schools
<br /> Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links.
<br />To Teren Shaffer, President and CEO, Gregory Endelman, COO, Michael Ciecek, Principal, Orange County
<br />School of the Arts I am writing to call your attention to a situation that happened during a school performance at
<br />Orange County School of the Arts last week. Guests who arrived were greeted by the sight of students donning
<br />terrorist-supporting garb, keffiyehs, which directly undermines your institution's core values of "commitment to
<br />fostering a nurturing environment of creativity, respect, and collaboration" \[1\]. This has caused significant
<br />distress, alienation, and a sense of exclusion among Jewish staff, parents, and students. It is crucial that OCSA
<br />leadership fully grasps the gravity of permitting anyone to wear keffiyehs. Far from being a “cultural symbol,”
<br />the keffiyeh is often worn with the intent or reckless disregard to inflict emotional harm on members of the
<br />Jewish community \[2\]. While some may claim the keffiyeh represents "resistance" or "solidarity," these are
<br />mere cloaks for its violent associations. The keffiyeh is linked to ideologies that perpetuate murder, rape,
<br />abduction, and violent hatred. Historically, it has been worn by figures like Yasser Arafat, who was responsible
<br />for over 19,000 terrorist attacks \[3\], and Leila Khaled, a member of PFLP—designated by the U.S. State
<br />Department as a terrorist group—known for armed aircraft hijackings \[4\]. More recently, the keffiyeh
<br />symbolizes support for Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization \[5\] responsible for the horrific
<br />massacre of innocent Israelis on October 7, 2023. This attack included gang rape, the gruesome slaughter of
<br />babies, the burning of families alive, and the kidnapping of innocent people still being held captive \[6-7\]. The
<br />keffiyeh represents support for the repeated execution of these barbaric acts perpetrated by Hamas. This is not
<br />“resistance”; this is savagery. The keffiyeh is linked to violent chants such as “From the river to the sea,
<br />Palestine will be free,” a call to annihilate all Jews from Israel, and “Globalize the Intifada,” which calls for
<br />violence against Jews worldwide \[8-9\]. It is also connected to calls of “Death to America,” further
<br />demonstrating its ties to hate and the destruction of our democracy. Imagine how triggering seeing a keffiyeh
<br />must be for military families fighting terrorism around the world. Can you recall a time when the keffiyeh was
<br />so ubiquitously displayed or worn before October 7? Since that day, it has become a tool for antisemites to
<br />mask their hatred for Jews under the guise of social justice, similar to how the Nazis used swastikas to spread
<br />their ideology. This has fueled a staggering surge in antisemitism and violence against Jews, such as has not
<br />been seen since the Holocaust \[10\]. To be clear: if symbols like the swastika or the Confederate flag are
<br />recognized as inappropriate in public spaces due to their violent and hateful connotations, the keffiyeh, with its
<br />ties to terrorism, must be treated the same. OCSA has an obligation to create a safe, neutral space for all
<br />students, free from the promotion of hate or violence, or from blatantly displayed symbols meant to create a
<br />hostile and unwelcoming environment for minority groups. Allowing anyone to wear the keffiyeh violates this
<br />responsibility and sends the message that OCSA condones such divisive ideologies. This is a dereliction of duty
<br />and contributes to the dangerous indoctrination of impressionable young minds we are seeing in our K-12
<br />schools and on college campuses \[12\]. This reinforces toxic ideologies, fosters a culture of hate, and encourages
<br />or, at best, condones violence. As a publicly funded charter school, OCSA has both a moral and legal obligation
<br />to ensure taxpayer funds are used to promote equality and respect, not violence and intolerance, which could
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