The National Association of Independent Schools apologized to American Jewish leaders on Thursday and laid out the steps that it is taking after hosting a conference in which speakers made anti-Zionist remarks that caused some student attendees to hide their Jewish identity and leave early.

“I write to express my profound remorse over the divisive and hurtful rhetoric expressed on stage at last week’s NAIS People of Color Conference in Denver. There is no place for antisemitism at NAIS events, in our member schools, or in society,” Debra Wilson, the president of the association, wrote in a letter to American Jewish communal leaders, who had written to her about the matter.

At the conference, which was held last week, several speakers accused Israel of genocide and spread anti-Israel rhetoric, leading led a group of Jewish students at the conference to feel “so targeted, so unsafe, that we tucked our Magen Davids in our shirts and walked out as those around us glared and whispered,” according to a letter that was sent to NAIS on Wednesday by Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League; Paul Bernstein, CEO of Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools; Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee; and Eric Fingerhut, CEO of Jewish Federations of North America.

Wilson, whose organization represents some 2,000 non-public schools and associations of schools, including more than 100 Jewish day schools, cited this incident in her response. “Your letter was particularly affecting in describing Jewish students compelled to hide their Stars of David,” she wrote. “That any student would feel the need to conceal their identity at our conference is antithetical to our mission and our values.”

“We understand that antisemitism is one of history’s oldest and ugliest hatreds. It manifests not only in obvious acts of violence and discrimination but in subtle erasures and exclusions,” she added. “In this regard, we recognize the particular importance of acknowledging Jewish people of color — including educators — who have too often been rendered invisible in discussions of both Jewish identity and racial justice.”

In her letter, Wilson said that NAIS was making “meaningful changes” to how it selects speakers for conferences and how it reviews their presentations.

“Going forward, all keynote presentations will be submitted in advance, including detailed outlines or full remarks, along with slides and materials. No last-minute changes will be permitted without explicit review and approval,” she said. 

Wilson thanked the American Jewish leaders for offering resources to address antisemitism, “especially as we look ahead to our national conference in February,” and noted that her organization has worked with them on this issue in the past. 

“We know that rebuilding trust will take time and consistent action. We are prepared to do that,” Wilson wrote.

Greenblatt responded to Wilson’s letter on Thursday, saying that the ADL appreciated “both the expressions of remorse and the outline of new steps being instituted to avoid future incidents involving speakers at your conferences.”

In his letter back to Wilson, Greenblatt called on NAIS to issue a new statement to those who attended the conference, saying that an initial one that was made as complaints first came in “discounted the concerns raised and legitimized some of the inappropriate and offensive messages that were shared from the stage.” He also called on the organization to release a similar statement to the public along the same lines.

“Thank you for your thoughtful response to our communal letter. ADL is ready and willing to assist you as requested in your letter. We are eager to share our resources and expertise on addressing antisemitism and bias in schools, and our subject matter experts on educational issues stand ready to consult with you going forward,” Greenblatt said.

In a separate statement on Thursday, Fingerhut expressed appreciation for Wilson’s “commitment to ensuring that NAIS events are antisemitism-free zones,” noting that JFNA looks “forward to working with her toward that goal.”

Jewish day school leaders had mixed reactions to the conference, with some seeing the incident as a potential cause to leave the association, while others advocated addressing the issue from within the NAIS system.

“NAIS is an important place that a lot of Jewish day schools want to be part of, [and] Prizmah encourages that,” Bernstein told eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider, emphasizing the need to “strengthen the system” rather than leave the association altogether and “be in a position where Jews feel the only safe place is internal.” 

Mark Shpall, head of de Toledo High School, a private Jewish high school in West Hills, Calif., a longtime member of NAIS, said that the conference has caused him to rethink membership. “I raised the question with my board today,” Shpall told JI. “We don’t want to be reactive per se, but we also want to be realistic and look at whether the interests of our students and community are being heard by the association.”