A Quaker school’s dilemma | Morning Newsletter
And Philly’s Fan Expo returns.
The Morning Newsletter
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Good morning and happy National Hoagie Day. Celebrate with one of the sammies in The Inquirer’s roundup of the best hoagies in Philly to eat right now.
Today we have a story on Germantown Friends School, where a national debate is dividing the Quaker campus. And as usual, you can also find a rundown of everything else happening this weekend — including the return of Philly’s Fan Expo and the Broad Street Run. Let’s get into it.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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A private Quaker school in Germantown is caught up in a unique dilemma as community members sit on opposing sides of a national debate.
Tensions at GFS: In recent months, leaders at Germantown Friends School have canceled a Muslim speaker’s visit, reprimanded a student for calling a Holocaust survivor a “Zionist” in a private group chat, and stripped the word “ceasefire” from a banner on campus. The actions followed pressure from a group of parents who cited concerns of antisemitism. In response, a letter with over 400 signatories now asks school leaders to take a stand against the war in Gaza, and to show equal support to pro-Palestinian community members.
Zoom out: The situation at GFS reflects the broader conflicts and fears that have divided both K-12 and college campuses since the war’s outbreak seven months ago. Since mid-April, more than 2,000 protesters have been arrested at dozens of universities where students have set up pro-Palestinian encampments.
Closer to home: So far, no arrests have been made at the University of Pennsylvania, where an encampment has stood for 10 days. Protesters want the Ivy League school to divest its financial holdings from any companies profiting from the war, among other stances. But divestment is a complicated process — and not likely given Pennsylvania laws meant to discourage it.
Quaker tradition: Unlike the turmoil facing other institutions, the GFS community has faced a reckoning of faith as members debate the Quaker commitment to nonviolence. Several national Quaker organizations have called for a cease-fire, while others are striking a more neutral position.
Reporters Maddie Hanna and Max Marin explain the debate happening at GFS, and where the school might go from here.
What you should know today
After a public outcry from students, parents, and alumnae, the Philly school district has reversed planned teacher cuts at Philadelphia High School for Girls.
The latest from architecture critic Inga Saffron: SEPTA and Amtrak improvements could help turn 30th Street into a destination, not just a portal to somewhere else.
In today’s Broad Street Run, university researchers are racing with gyroscope sensors fitted to their ankles for a wide-ranging research project on the Achilles tendon.
Lee Morgan’s gravestone vanished before being unearthed by a fan. The city just honored the jazz legend with a new historical marker in West Philadelphia.
The zine scene is thriving in Philly. Makers of the handmade, self-published booklets say the craft endures specifically because zines are analog — objects that can be held, and can’t go viral.
Despite pitched opposition, with no legal barriers currently in the way, the city has begun cutting down heritage trees at FDR Park.
Bob’s Diner is for sale. But there’s a catch: Whoever buys the Roxborough staple must contractually commit to keeping it a diner.
Philly FatCon, designed “for fat people by fat people,” returns for its second year this October.
❓Pop quiz
The hides of most balls used in Major League Baseball come from one Pennsylvania meat processing plant. Where is it?
A) Berks County
B) Bradford County
C) Carbon County
D) Philadelphia County
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
📱 Pondering: The value of an Instagram handle, thanks to some internet drama involving a Willow Grove billionaire tree service family.
🥞 Booking: Mother’s Day brunch at one of these 12 Philly restaurants.
🥒 Tasting, cautiously: Pickle Pop-Tarts, Crust Vegan Bakery’s April Fools’ Day joke turned real.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
This beloved food market at FDR Park just opened for the season this weekend.
AARON MUTATES SHAKIEST
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Joe Gallagher, who solved Friday’s anagram: Jelly Bean Bryant, a.k.a. Kobe’s father, who played for the 76ers.
Photo of the day
Philly’s Fan Expo runs through this weekend. The Inquirer’s Mike Newall wrote a sweet column about getting into comics in a big way in middle age.
🎶 For today’s Sunday track, we’re listening to the new Dua Lipa album, Radical Optimism, and especially the single “Illusion.” Dare you to keep from dancing if you listen.
👋 Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow.