Letter to the Editor: David Zafft

Letter to the Editor,

Dear Editorial Board of the Atlanta Jewish Times,

As a parent of two students at Atlanta International School (“AIS”), I read your April 9 article, “Pro-Gaza Art Project Upsets Jewish Atlanta,” with concern and felt much more needed to be said.

First, let me affirm that I am a steadfast believer in free speech and in the power of art to provoke deep thought and discussion. However, when art enters the realm of political commentary—especially on matters as complex and sensitive as the Middle East—it must be anchored in factual integrity to foster meaningful dialogue rather than deepen divisions.

At the AIS exhibition, I initially saw the artwork only from a distance. Later, after receiving a photo of the artist’s statement, I realized how deeply misleading and inaccurate it was—contrary to AIS’s core values of “joy of learning, purposeful effort, and mutual respect and understanding in an intentionally inclusive and intercultural community.”

Importantly, AIS’s leadership acted swiftly and appropriately. Upon realizing the piece had been displayed without proper approval, they promptly removed it. Mr. Kevin Glass, the Head of School—who was overseas at the time—also quickly issued a thoughtful statement to the AIS community.

Given the school’s relatively small Jewish population, these immediate and decisive actions deserve to be recognized. Yet your article gave insufficient attention to them. It also omitted that when approached by two Israeli individuals at the exhibition, the student-artist admitted her limited understanding of the complexities of the Middle East and expressed a willingness to learn more.

I respectfully urge the Atlanta Jewish Times to publish a follow-up highlighting AIS’s responsible actions and propose a path forward for other institutions that may find themselves in a similar situation. The Jewish community in Atlanta—and Israeli citizens living in Atlanta—can and should partner with schools like AIS to provide educational resources that foster a more accurate understanding of Israel’s history, the Jewish diaspora’s exile from Middle Eastern countries, and the broader regional context before and after Israel’s independence in 1948.

Organizations hostile to Israel have invested heavily in promoting anti-Zionist anti-Israel and anti-Semitic narratives, especially on college campuses. If we do not engage earlier, at the high school level, we risk allowing misinformation to take deeper root. Moments like this should not only cause outrage but also galvanize action.

Finally, if the Jewish community wishes to highlight broader challenges, the case of the “Free Palestine” graffiti in Piedmont Park—visited by over five million people annually—is far more concerning. Despite being reported to the Piedmont Park Conservancy, no direct action was taken to remove it; only another graffiti artist’s intervention partially addressed it.

We owe it to our children—and to our broader community—to respond to misinformation not merely with condemnation, but through education, engagement, and a renewed commitment to truth.

David Zafft, Atlanta, Ga.