Don’t Buy Tabari’s Talk on Book Bans

Niloufar Tabari, a candidate for school board, announced in a recent letter that she does not support book banning “in any form.” She made a similar statement on her Instagram page, insisting she is not a “book banner.”

But in 2021, Ms. Tabari came to a Board meeting to attack the book “If You Come Softly,” a celebrated and award-winning novel, falsely claiming that the book is antisemitic and anti-white.

How do we reconcile Ms. Tabari’s statement with this track record? Well, I guess it depends on your definition of the word “ban.” Tabari says she was merely “expressing concern,” but it seems pretty clear that she wants this book removed from the curriculum; she called it antisemitic and “divisive,” adding explicitly that the school should choose “more appropriate” books.

I don’t think it’s productive to argue over whether Ms. Tabari’s preferred outcome would constitute a “ban.” Whether she is trying to get books “banned,” “canceled,” “eliminated,” or what have you—pick your favorite verb—this is concerning behavior.

Attacks on literature do not typically announce themselves as “book bans,” and there are ways to suppress books without calling for an outright ban. Sometimes a false accusation—like smearing “If You Come Softly” as antisemitic—is enough to get the ball rolling.

“If You Come Softly” depicts a loving relationship between a Jewish girl and a Black boy. Ms. Tabari’s “concern” seems to be that the book normalizes such relationships. At the Board meeting, she said it raises the issue of “how to preserve our Jewish culture”—as if reading this love story somehow constitutes a threat to Jewish heritage.

It’s not enough just to say you oppose bans. We want Trustees who will stand up for teachers, for literature, and for intellectual freedom. Rebecca Sassouni and Joanne Chan have demonstrated their commitment to these values. I’ll be casting my ballot for Sassouni and Chan, and yes on the budget, on May 16th. I urge all my neighbors to do the same.