CAEF Letter to the Peel District School Board on Equity Support for Jewish Staff and Students Following Removal of Jewish Equity Coach Joshua Goldenthal

Dear Director Swarup, Associate Director Aujla, Superintendent Grant, and Supervisor Watt,

I am writing on behalf of the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation to express our serious concern regarding the reassignment of Joshua Goldenthal and the resulting loss of his leadership within PDSB’s equity instructional coaching structure.

Mr. Goldenthal became an important and trusted resource for Jewish staff and students. He brought knowledge of antisemitism into the Board’s equity work, helped educators and administrators recognize concerns affecting Jewish members of the school community, and provided a point of contact for individuals who needed informed guidance and advocacy.

His reassignment is therefore not simply an internal staffing matter. It has broader implications for the continuity of PDSB’s work on antisemitism and for the confidence Jewish staff, students, and families can place in the Board’s equity commitments.

Effective equity work depends upon knowledge, relationships, and institutional trust. These cannot be transferred automatically by assigning general responsibilities to another employee or department. Antisemitism has its own history, manifestations, and contemporary forms. Addressing it effectively requires specific understanding, sustained attention, and meaningful engagement with the Jewish community.

Before reassigning Mr. Goldenthal, did PDSB assess the effect his departure from this role would have on Jewish staff and students? Were the people who relied upon his guidance consulted, and was any formal transition or continuity plan developed?

Mr. Goldenthal’s reassignment raises the following questions:

1. What assessment did PDSB undertake before reassigning Mr. Goldenthal to determine how the change would affect Jewish staff, students, families, and the educators he supported?

2. What experience, training, and subject-matter knowledge will be required of the person or team assuming these responsibilities?

3. How will PDSB ensure that its personnel can recognize both longstanding and contemporary expressions of antisemitism, including circumstances in which hostility toward Jewish people is presented as political discourse or directed at Jewish identity through references to Israel or Zionism?

4. What measurable objectives will be incorporated into PDSB’s equity and school-improvement work to determine whether Jewish students and employees experience safety, inclusion, and confidence in the Board’s response to antisemitism?

5. How will PDSB evaluate whether schools are responding consistently to antisemitism rather than leaving recognition and intervention to the discretion of individual administrators?

6. Will PDSB meet with representatives of the Jewish community before the new school year to explain its transition plan and hear directly from those affected by this decision?

The concern is not that one individual must indefinitely carry the Board’s responsibility for addressing antisemitism. The concern is that PDSB has not publicly demonstrated that the expertise, relationships, and advocacy functions Mr. Goldenthal provided have been preserved within a permanent and accountable structure.

No equity framework is complete if Jewish staff and students are left uncertain about whether their experiences will be recognized or who is responsible for supporting them. PDSB must ensure that its response to antisemitism is informed, consistent, and embedded throughout the system, rather than dependent upon the initiative of a single trusted employee.

We ask that the Board provide a substantive written response identifying the responsible personnel, required expertise, transition measures, accountability mechanisms, and opportunities for Jewish community consultation.

We look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Andria Spindel

Executive Director