Middle-School Teacher Accused Of Anti-Jew Comments During Bible Class

A Tennessee middle school teacher has been criticized for allegedly teaching her students "how to torture a Jew" during a public school Bible class.

Juniper Russo, mother of a Jewish eighth-grader in East Hamilton Middle School, accused the unidentified teacher of misusing the class meant for teaching the Bible as literature for "blatant Christian proselytizing," Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

The teacher reportedly wrote an English translation of the Hebrew name for god on the whiteboard and told the students that "If you want to know how to torture a Jew, make them say this out loud," Russo wrote in a Facebook post that is no longer public.

Jews traditionally do not speak out the name of god and write it only in the Torah.

Russo said she withdrew her eighth-grader from the class after her daughter felt unsafe hearing her teacher talk about torturing the Jews. "My daughter felt extremely uncomfortable hearing a teacher instruct her peers on ‘how to torture a Jew’ and told me when she came home from school that she didn’t feel safe in the class," the mother said.

The class was part of an initiative of "Bible in the Schools," a nonprofit organization that teaches the Bible in 29 schools in Hamilton County.

Russo said her daughter was forced to take up the elective bible classes as her options were limited due to a physical disability from a recent surgery. "I thought if it really was a Bible history class it wouldn’t be an issue for her or a conflict with our religious beliefs,” Russo said, New York Post reported.

However, the mother said the girl felt singled out as she was the only Jew in her class and was reportedly asked several invasive questions about her faith. "It seemed very aggressive and very abrasive," Russo said.

The mother accused that the class that was meant to be conducted in a "non-sectarian manner" to teach the Bible as literature and for its historic value, was however dominated by Christian teachings.

Russo claimed that the Book of Genesis was taught as a factual story to students on how the universe was formed. Also, she said a correct answer to a test question that says: "It is important to read the Bible even if you are not Christian or Jewish," was given as true.

Meanwhile, the school district officials confirmed that they are investigating the incident and will take appropriate steps based on the findings of the review. "Hamilton County Schools is committed to ensuring that our students and staff experience a climate of belonging and support," the school district said in a statement.

The local chapter of the Jewish Federation said they are aware of the incident and want the officials to ensure the classes are not indoctrinated.

"Moving forward, we look forward to a healthy dialog with the Bible in the Schools organization. Additionally, we hope they use this as an opportunity to reflect on and assess both their curriculum and how their teachers are presenting the material to ensure these classes are education, not indoctrination," the organization said in a statement.