“For me, it was a wake-up call. I truly believed that antisemitism had died with World War II. I thought Holocaust education was ongoing. I was shocked to find out that wasn’t the case.
One of the first things JLIS taught us was the difference between fighting as a parent versus fighting as an advocate. If you fight as a parent, you help your own child. If you fight as an advocate, you help an entire community.”
“JLIS has emboldened parents to take a stand-not in an adversarial way, but in an educated, respectful, and strategic way. They help us work within the system rather than fight against it.
Having JLIS as a support system has been invaluable. It reassures us that we’re not alone and that others are facing similar struggles in their school communities.”
“JLIS is all about partnering with the school and making change from within. Rather than screaming and yelling and expecting that that’s going to help make systemic change at an institution.
Before I started working with JLIS, with our Jewish affinity group, I really had no working knowledge of how independent schools work with regard to disciplinary action, curriculum, teachers, and any kind of systemic change at the school. And JLIS, with its great leaders, have been such a great help because they have been involved on the boards of various schools.They have this knowledge, and they know that change comes really slowly at independent schools.
JLIS helped to calm everyone down, so we didn’t have to do it ourselves, because that’s hard. That’s why JLIS is so great-they’re like the ultimate ref who could just tell everyone to chill out and give them the JLIS way.”
“Before JLIS, I didn’t fully grasp how independent schools functioned in terms of decision-making and curriculum. Their guidance empowered us to navigate the system effectively and advocate for Jewish inclusion in a thoughtful and strategic way.
JLIS showed us that being proactive, rather than reactive, is critical.
JLIS provided us with the tools to not just protect our children’s Jewish identities but strengthen them. Their support gave us the confidence to build a community within our school ensuring that our children feel seen, valued, and proud of who they are.”
“We were just incredibly grateful we had a resource like JLIS to talk to, and also to help us with a consultant, organize how we should present our concerns and structure our parent advocacy in a way that was clear, productive, and effective.
The best thing JLIS did was help us engage in conversation with our school administration. We now have quarterly meetings where we can bring up issues and discuss them in real time. This structured dialogue has been the biggest gift of all.”
“JLIS helped shift my mindset by teaching us to be disciplined in our approach. Before JLIS, I felt like we were shouting into the void. Now, we have a roadmap and a support system that empowers us to advocate effectively for our children’s education. JLIS has created a nationwide network of Jewish parents who are navigating these challenges together. That sense of community and shared purpose is incredibly powerful.”
