On an April day at Dallas ISD鈥檚 Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet school, Manuel BenZvi鈥檚 government class began somewhat deceptively. BenZvi invited anyone to share a bit of their own culture, because, as he鈥檇 told them previously, that day had been dubbed 鈥榗ulture鈥� day.
BenZvi broke the ice and shared some of his own. He put on a brightly decorated yarmulka and tallis, a Hebrew prayer shawl. Benzvi is Jewish.
After BenZvi finished sharing, a student showed, and played, one of two ocarinas he got on a trip to Mexico.
Once he sat down, the class formally began.
鈥淟ook up the following person,鈥� said BenZvi, as projections on the large white classroom screen showed an actress many students probably recognized. Her name was also projected, so they looked up Mila Kunis online.
鈥淚 want you to search for where she was born and what is her background,鈥� BenZvi said.
Kunis, they learned, is not only from Ukraine, she鈥檚 also Jewish. That discovery fed part of that day鈥檚 lesson, as BenZvi played a video of Vladimir Putin. The students listened to Putin鈥檚 voice and those of an English-speaking interpreter, explain why Russia is invading Ukraine.
鈥淭he fact that we鈥檙e fighting with neo-Nazis,鈥� intoned the interpreter鈥檚 voice on behalf of Putin, 鈥渋s demonstrated by the actual character of the fighter.鈥�
BenZvi paused the video, and asked his students 鈥淲ho is Vladimir Putin?鈥� Several responded, and one used finger quotes around the word 鈥減resident.鈥� BenZvi asked why.
Because, the student responded, in elections, he has no real opponents. 鈥淲ell,鈥� said BenZvi, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not entirely true. Whoever opposes him, what happens to them?鈥�
Students said 鈥渢hey die, or go to jail.鈥�
Published reports going back more than a decade show dozens of Putin critics, including political actors, have died.
鈥淪o remember,鈥� said BenZvi, of President Putin, 鈥淚 always say the name doesn鈥檛 make the thing. Although he鈥檚 called President Putin, he鈥檚 not precisely President Putin, because in order to be president, you need to be democratically elected, right?
BenZvi then asked students to also look up Ukraine鈥檚 President, Volodymyr Zelenski. 鈥淗e鈥檚 Jewish too,鈥� said BenZvi, and so are many Ukrainians. But he explained antisemitism exists in Ukraine as well, and said that鈥檚 why Kunis鈥� family left when Mila was little.
Student Perspectives
For 16 year-old student Oscar Mendez, the fact that Zelensky is Jewish tested Putin鈥檚 words.
鈥淚 feel that is very ironic,鈥� said Mendez. 鈥淏ecause Ukraine, they have a Jewish president, but the Nazis were very anti-Jew.鈥�
With that point made, BenZvi鈥檚 class critically assessed another of Putin鈥檚 points. That Ukrainians are Russians, the same people, and Putin is out to reunite them.
BenZvi said Putin鈥檚 perspective ignores centuries of Ukraine鈥檚 own history, culture, and identity. Oscar Mendez discussed Putin鈥檚 words with seat-mate Mizarey Ortiz.
鈥淗e (Putin) would take the cultures and customs of other people, within Russia and the USSR鈥檚 territories,鈥� said Oscar, 鈥渁nd make them all unified, into one people.鈥�
Mizarey countered, 鈥淏ut going as far as to, like, bombing Ukraine to get that point across? It just contradicts what he was saying. In the sense that if y鈥檃ll are all one people, you wouldn't do that.鈥�
鈥淩ight,鈥� conceded Oscar.
BenZvi wants this class to grasp that history repeats itself.
"We're seeing, you know, the possibility of a second Cold War. I have many students asking me about a nuclear war and having that fear. It echoes, you know, what I've heard from my grandparents in the past,鈥� he said.
There are even more big lessons BenZvi hopes these sophomores, juniors and seniors will take away.
鈥淭hat we are all interconnected. And, number three, with all the propaganda, how people are easily convinced of things that are not necessarily true.鈥�
Students in this government class, including Todd Stansberry, offered some of their own advice to avoid getting duped by online posts.
Stansberry prefers viewing many social media posts about the same events. He鈥檚 already wary of bias. However, he鈥檚 learned to look for commonalities among many, varied posts. Once he finds them, he can filter out the biases. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best way to believe what is being told to me, he said.
During this class about one of the biggest news events in the world, not a single student asked why they should care, given that the fighting was so far away.
Katelayn Vault, 17, said she was directly feeling the impact of this distant conflict.
鈥淚 mean, look at our gas prices.鈥� said Katelayn. 鈥淚 spent $70 on gas the other day. That鈥檚 an effect of the war.鈥�
