On Oct 7, 2023, decades-long tensions between the State of Israel and Hamas exploded into an ongoing state of brutal warfare, with more than 30,000 dead as of February 29, 2024. While the discussions at schools such as UC Berkeley, Arizona State, and Columbia University have been highly volatile, the discussions at Vista del Lago High School have been remarkably organized, and the students have shown exceptional maturity for such a complex topic.
The Jewish Heritage Club and the Muslim Student Association are student-run clubs where Jewish and Muslim students have a safe space to host and attend events, and where non-Jewish or Muslim students have the opportunity to learn more about Jewish culture or the Islamic faith.
The main thing that would surprise people who don’t attend or work at Vista is how much in agreement the students and staff are on the topic. Both clubs have worked closely in discussions, and the consensus is that there should be peace in Gaza to open up a conversation for a free Palestine.
“Nothing good can come out of war…most people are just concerned with the wellbeing of everybody, even though the route people go about is sometimes different,” said Jewish Heritage Club so-president Gavin Martinez.
“We want to promote peace…the only difference in opinion between students is how connected they feel to the situation because we have Palestinian kids on campus who feel much more impacted by what’s happening,” commented MSA co-president Tahseen Haque.
Both co-presidents want to talk about the situation, but they also acknowledge that it’s not an easy thing to talk about. “We want to talk about it, but we also want not to overcomplicate it. The facts are there, and it’s up to how people interpret them,” said Haque.
“Even if people don’t exactly agree with your views, it’s important to have this discussion at a high school level because that’s preparing you for the rest of your life where you’ll have to engage on a larger scale,” said Martinez.
MSA Advisor Luke Schwan and Assistant Principal Jason Javier-Watson aim to allow students to discuss the issue and introduce nuance, which is especially important to Schwan, remarking, “A lot of students see it as a fundamentally religious conflict. We want to resolve the tension between students who feel like this is constantly in their world and students who see it as really peripheral.”
“Our job as a school is to support our students,” said Dr. Javier-Watson. “Everybody has their own story and perspective, and my job is to try and honor all the perspectives that I can within my role as a school administrator to keep the school safe.”
To get the ball rolling on a discussion surrounding the topic, the students of the MSA organized the Peace for Palestine event on March 1, with a raffle, Palestinian food, and guest speakers such as Professor Reem Olaby, the Jewish Voice for Peace, Tawfiq Morrar, and Youth Miriam Hussein.
The guest speakers took their time to discuss clearing misconceptions about the history of Palestine, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the dilemma a lot of ethnic Jewish Americans have with associating their heritage with the State of Israel.
Ultimately, the event was a huge success, with nearly 100 people turning out.
“We wanna be the generation that’s going to change things. We wanna say that the animosity that exists elsewhere won’t exist at Vista; we’re going to foster a culture of collaboration,” said Martinez.
