School Board Member Refers to 'Mein Kampf' in Debate With Parent

HIGHLAND PARK, IL - A North Shore School District 112 board member made a reference to “Mein Kampf,” Adolf Hitler’s autobiography, during an exchange with a Jewish community member during a videotaped public meeting Tuesday night.

The reference came from board member Jane Solmor-Mordini, who has served on the board since 2009 and whose term expires in April 2017.

Solmor-Mordini and Davis Schneiderman, a parent and member of the district's Reconfiguration 2.0 team, were discussing the possibility of the district implementing a “BDR3” plan that would close some schools, including Ravinia Elementary School, as part of a cost cutting measure.

At one point during the conversation, which featured Solmor-Mordini and Schneiderman both talking over each other at times, the board member made the following reference.

“If you ask me questions about Mein Kampf and I haven’t read it, I can’t really answer them for you with any intelligence.”

Schneiderman, who is Jewish, responded that he does not plan to read it, to which Solmor-Mordini said, “I thought you wrote it.”

“You are saying you think I wrote Mein Kampf, can you elaborate on that?” Schneiderman asked, to which Solmor-Mordini, who is also Jewish, responded that she was kidding.

The population of Highland Park has more than double the percent of Jewish residents than the United States as a whole.

Solmor-Mordini is an active member of North Shore Congregation Beth El, according to information published by District 112.

On Tuesday night, she also took issue with Schneiderman accusing her of calling members of the community “idiots.”

“Because you are bringing up that I said interviewing people who don’t have any information is interviewing a bunch of idiots. I know you are going to go quote me somewhere, which you are fond of doing...Telling everyone that I called the community a bunch of idiots.”

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