Disciplines

Jewish Studies

Abstract

Mark Willner grew up in Parkchester, which he remembers as a very nice place to grow up with nice lawns and playgrounds. When he lived there, there were no Black people, and the population was split between Jewish, Italian, and Irish people. He attended PS 106 and James Monroe High School, which he describes as having a sense of camaraderie.

Willner’s father, born abroad, was an assistant principal and his mother, born in Brooklyn, became a school secretary when he got older. Willner has played many sports since youth, particularly tennis and football, and is a lifelong Boston Celtics fan. He would go to movies and travel within the city to visit relatives. Willner’s family life was very warm and welcoming with an established sense of norms and respect that he believes is typical of growing up in the 1950s. He remembers many teachers from high school who held the students to high standards, and would go on to Queens College after graduation.

Willner graduated from NYU Law School, but, given the Vietnam War draft, decided to become a teacher and join the National Guard to avoid being sent overseas. He taught in Morris High School in the South Bronx during the day and night school in Harlem. At both schools, he was cognizant of his role as a white educator in a minority school. Willner was also exposed to Black communities as part of his National Guard service with the 369th Infantry Division, which was known in WWI as the “Harlem Hellfighters.” He would then serve as Social Studies chairman at Midwood High School in Brooklyn for 32 years, also teaching many in-service courses for the NYC Board of Education, writing a world history textbook, and teaching about the Holocaust at Temple Emanu-El NYC and other educational institutions for many years.

Overall, Willner remembers his upbringing in the Bronx with a sense of safety, stability, and community.

Keywords: Parkchester, family, safety, PS 106, James Monroe High School, Queens College, Morris High School, race, Black Power, Vietnam War, draft, education, 1967/1968 Teachers Strikes, sports, social studies, 369th Infantry, Fulbright, Israel, Holocaust, Temple Emanu-El NYC

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