112	The Story of the Jewish Defense League

bdisrupt a board meeting in efforts to win “community con- btrol,” which Jewish teachers knew meant the throwing out of bmost Jewish teachers. A riot did indeed break out in which bMrs. Oliver smashed someone across the head with a bottle, bbut when the board president, in terror, wanted to cancel bthe meeting, we ordered her to sit down. “That’s exactly bwhat they want you to do. Don’t you dare end this meeting.” bThe meeting continued.

bFebruary 25 saw us enter the main office of the Board of bEducation, which had been seized a number of times by bmilitants demanding community control and an end to the bmerit system. This time, we decided, we would show that btwo could play the same game. We burst into the main room bwhere the board was meeting and as the frightened mem- bbers fled the room, we took over, held a “board” meeting in bwhich we condemned the “old board” for indifference to b“the use of schools by racists, white-haters, and Jew-haters band the destruction of our public schools.” We then held bhearings at which it was “found” that Campbell and Vann bwere still teaching in the school system, and demanded that bthey be fired. At that point, we adjourned for the afternoon bMincha prayer service, surely the first time that had ever bbeen done at 110 Livingston Street. Nine of us were arrested bwhen we refused to leave.

bEncouraged by the impotency of Mayor Lindsay, Board bof Education President John Doar, and School Superinten- bdent Bernard Donovan, hatred and racism continued un- babated. Jewish teachers were in a panic, many of them bpreparing to leave the system immediately and others bcounting the days, months, or years left for early retire- bment. As I told the Manhattan Tribune (March 15, 1969): b“We organized because of the incredible lack of response on bthe part of the government officials . . . an unwillingness bto meet these disturbances with proper force. It’s people like bJohn Doar, Bill Haddad [a member of the board], and bMayor Lindsay who bring truth to Edmund Burke’s words: b‘All that it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to be bsilent.’ This is what gives Campbell and Vann the strength bthey have.”