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Greenwich Public Schools Superintendent Toni Jones received a formal letter on October 13 from Farhan Memon, Chairman of CAIR-Connecticut, demanding that the district immediately relocate its Outdoor Classroom trips from URJ Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, Massachusetts—and bar the venue from all Greenwich public school use.
The letter, obtained by Greenwich Patriots, frames the longstanding Jewish Reform camp as unsuitable because of Israeli flags, yellow ribbons (symbols for hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023), and the camp’s documented Israel programming.
Memon cites Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch claims that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza, then argues that “for Palestinian children whose families have experienced displacement, injury, or bereavement, a venue displaying Israeli national symbols and associated with Israeli military experiences can evoke profound distress.” He insists the district “should not require those families to disregard that context as the price of participating in a school trip.”
Parents had first raised the issue months earlier, in March, May, and June. The letter notes that Central Middle School’s promotional video and photos from another school’s visit showed the displays in communal spaces. Memon rejects the district’s explanation that Outdoor Classroom merely rents the premises, writing that “stating that ‘many’ decorations are removed does not establish what remains” and that “a general assurance that the trip has no political purpose cannot erase the meaning of the environment.” He invokes Title VI obligations and asks for a written response within ten business days outlining steps to secure an alternative site for all Greenwich schools, plus a “content-neutral standard” for reviewing venues when families raise concerns. He also requests a meeting with affected families.
Eisner Camp is a Union for Reform Judaism facility that rents space to Outdoor Classroom for the multi-day program. Camp leadership has stated it is proud to display the Israeli flag for its own programming. The district has indicated the trip will proceed, with officials emphasizing there is “no political or religious activity whatsoever” on the Outdoor Classroom experience itself.
The timing and intensity of CAIR’s intervention stand in sharp contrast to how Greenwich school officials have handled concerns from local parents about political messaging in classrooms. Just ten days earlier, Jackie Homan from Greenwich Patriots detailed how parents at Eastern Middle School raised issues with transgender progress-pride flags, Black Lives Matter materials, and “no one is illegal” displays in a sixth-grade classroom and on a school psychologist’s door.
Acting for anonymous parents who feared retaliation, Homan repeatedly asked officials whether such items comply with Policy 1311.2R on political activities in schools. Director of Communications Jonathan Supranowitz dismissed the inquiry as “clearly biased,” refused a clear yes-or-no answer, and eventually replied “That’s on you — not me.” Principal Marc Guarino offered no direct clarification, and Superintendent Jones and the Board of Education did not respond after Homan forwarded the thread requesting a straightforward answer on whether “politically biased messaging” is permitted. The article highlighted parents’ fears of being labeled or having their children targeted, and the district’s failure to apply its own policy consistently.
CAIR’s letter arrives amid broader efforts by the organization to shape what Connecticut students learn about Islam and the Middle East. As Connecticut Centinal reported last month, the state’s Department of Education Islamic and Arab Studies Curriculum Design Team—created under Public Act 26-1—includes a national CAIR consultant and multiple candidates selected after CAIR-CT submitted resumes and recommendations. The team features Maryam Hasan, a Florida-based CAIR National consultant who leads the group’s “Unhostile Campus” campaign, which has criticized universities for responding to post-October 7 protests. Other members include academics who have publicly supported Palestinian “resistance” and the BDS (Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions) movement. Republican lawmakers and the Connecticut Catholic Conference had already objected to the law for singling out one faith tradition for special curriculum attention.
This is not CAIR-CT’s first recent attempt to influence events in Greenwich. In late September, Memon wrote to Temple Sholom Synagogue urging it to cancel or reframe a visit by Somali-born activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. He criticized her for statements such as “we are at war with Islam” and argued that hosting her without a Muslim counter-speaker would not be “welcoming and inclusive,” even while acknowledging the synagogue’s right to invite speakers. The letter warned that elevating her could damage Jewish-Muslim relations in Fairfield County.
CAIR has been designated a terrorist group by the governors of Florida and Texas over longstanding ties documented in the Holy Land Foundation case and statements by national leadership. In Greenwich, the pattern that emerges is one in which organized advocacy from CAIR produces formal demands and rapid attention, while ordinary parents asking basic questions about classroom political displays are met with deflection or silence. The Outdoor Classroom letter explicitly ties the venue decision to contested international human-rights findings about Gaza and frames Israeli national symbols as a barrier to inclusion for some students.
Meanwhile, Homan emailed Superintendent Jones today, asking why the district acknowledged CAIR’s field-trip letter but has still refused to answer earlier questions about Black Lives Matter, transgender flags, and “no person is illegal” displays that clearly create a hostile classroom environment for certain students. Jones has not responded. But, in our experience, she rarely responds to our concerns.
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