Dear Edina School Board Member,

I begin with thanking you for having the courage to suspend the students who proclaimed “from the river to the sea.”  It is encouraging to see your school district take this action to curb anti-Semitism that is feeding hate for Jews and threatening their safety.

From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” is a rallying cry for terrorist groups and their sympathizers, from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to Hamas, which called for Israel’s destruction in its original governing charter in 1988 and was responsible for the October 7, 2023 terror attack on Israeli civilians, murdering over 1,200 people.

I urge your school district to stand its ground against the Council on America Relations' (CAIR) lawsuit.  CAIR has a long history of links to terrorists and Hamas.  Nihad Awad, CAIR Executive Director, said "I am in support of the Hamas" movement.  In 2007, the United States Department of Justice named CAIR as “unindicted co-conspirators and/or joint venturers” in a criminal conspiracy to financially support Hamas in United States vs Holy Land Foundation.  FBI severed ties with CAIR in 2009 because of the organization’s links to Hamas.   CAIR chapters demonstrated in the streets across America in 2014 to show their support for Hamas even declaring that “We are Hamas.”  The United Arab Emirates’ ministerial cabinet listed the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as one of 83 banned terrorist organizations on November 15, 2014.  Numerous Council on American Islamic Relations' officials have been sentenced to prison and/or deported for supporting terrorism.   

The Edina School district should be able to win this case with little cost if it doesn’t fold to CAIR's intimidation.  It should also be able to recover attorneys’ fees from CAIR. 

Please continue to stand your ground against hate for Jews and terror linked CAIR.