Tova Plaut recognized as one of NY Jewish Week’s 36 to watch

Lawrence Board of Education Trustee and Cedarhurst resident Tova Plaut has been named one of New York Jewish Week’s 36 to Watch in 2024.

The New York Jewish Week is an online publication ran by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Every year they list 36 influential Jewish people who are impacting the Jewish community.

The honor stems from her work advocating for Jewish students, teachers, staff and families in the New York City Public Schools. She is one of the co-founders of the New York City Public Schools Alliance, an advocacy group that was established in 2023.

The creation of the alliance was propelled after an unruly protest at Queen’s Hillcrest High School, during which a Jewish teacher was targeted.

“The NYCPS alliance was born put of a collaborative determination to break the silence and provide support for those who may be afraid to speak up individually,” Plaut said. “Ensuring the safety, security, and respect of the Jewish community is not just a cause I believe in, it’s a fundamental part of who I am.”

Plaut noted that since the Oct. 7 attack there has been an uptick of anti-Semitic incidents in the NYCPS and is showing a trend of systemic Jewish hatred and Jewish erasure. In late 2023, the Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidents hit the highest number during any two-month period since the ADL began tracking in 1979.

“People who were experiencing this in their community started to speak up in private groups and were afraid to speak out publicly afraid of retaliation of their children in school, or their jobs and became very obvious that they needed a voice,” Plaut said.

Plaut started a group to be the voice and change the tide in NYCPS. What started out as a small group became much larger than anyone could have imagined.

Karen Feldman had been introduced to Plaut through mutual friends and from then it was history. The women immediately bonded, became good friends and respect each other as professionals in this shared fight.

“We met because of the NYCPS Alliance, two educators that recognize the need to unite teachers, in one platform to share experiences and spread awareness and document incidents of anti-Semitism and Jew hatred in the NYCPS system,” Feldman said.

Their goal is to hopefully impact policy change that is much needed in the world of education, city, state, and nationwide. They deal with incidents that occur and create workshops to promote inclusivity.

“Tova keeps me going and this battle that we fight everyday is heavy and we are bombarded everyday with teachers, parents students and allies reaching out to us about incidents across the city,” Feldman said. “I am so grateful for her.”