Statement by Jewish Voice for Peace – Central New Jersey

Censorship of Children’s Book Event at Highland Park Library

After a slanderous intimidation campaign, Highland Park Public Library canceled a planned reading of children’s book P is for Palestine. But Highland Park should know better: Censorship is never a good look for a library.

(May 30, 2019) Highland Park, NJ: The Central New Jersey chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace condemns the decision taken by the Highland Park Public Library to cancel the May 19^th planned reading of the children’s book “P is for Palestine” by the author, Golbarg Bashi, Ph.D., a member of the Pace University faculty.

Palestine Legal, ACLU-New Jersey and the Center for Constitutional Rights have joined Jewish Voice for Peace in condemning the censorship by the Highland Park Library.

The Highland Park Library canceled the reading following a slanderous intimidation campaign by a Somerset County politician, who incorrectly alleged that the book promoted violence. In fact, P is for Palestine is a wonderful opportunity to share Palestinian culture with children, and deserves to be in the library’s collection. It was wrong for the Highland Park Library to censor stories of Palestinian experience by cancelling the scheduled book reading.

JVP-Central New Jersey calls upon the library to reinstate the P is for Palestine event at a new date, in coordination with the original event organizers.

The library has announced that the Highland Park Public Library’s Board of Trustees will determine if this children’s book event will be rescheduled at their June 5 meeting. JVP-Central New Jersey urges all concerned community members and media to attend the meeting (7:30pm, Highland Park Community Center 220 S 6th Ave) and ensure that the Library’s Board of Trustees recognizes that censorship is never a good look for a library.

Palestinian stories deserve to be told. P is for Palestine is a children’s book about the Palestinian people, culture, and resistance. It portrays Palestinian culture as rich in historical, geographical, culinary, and religious customs. This cancellation is one of many recent examples across the country where public institutions have faced a coordinated effort to suppress the movement for Palestinian rights and stifle free speech, or smear any criticism of Israel of as antisemitic.

The cancellation is not only a violation of the Highland Park Public Library’s mission to be a forum for information and ideas, but is also contrary to the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights, which asserts that “libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.” To make sure that all points of view are truly represented, Palestinian stories, which are under-represented, must also be included in the Highland Park Public Library.

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Jewish Voice for Peace is a national, grassroots organization inspired by Jewish tradition to work for a just and lasting peace according to principles of human rights, equality, and international law for all the people of Israel and Palestine. JVP has over 500,000 online supporters, over 70 chapters and 15 student chapters, a Rabbinic Council, an Artist Council, an Academic Advisory Council, and an Advisory Board made up of leading U.S. intellectuals and artists.