States are pushing for more scrutiny of antisemitism in schools
After the incident 7 October attack Two years ago, during Hamas’ attack on Israel, high school teacher Josh Hirsch posted comments supporting Israel on social media. He wrote that it is unrealistic for Hamas to expect a ceasefire as long as they hold hostages.
Soon after, a former student called for his expulsion. A note taped to the outside of his classroom door in Adams County, Colorado, included his wife’s name and home address. And a sticker that appeared on his chair read: “Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.”
The reaction surprised Hirsch, who was the only Jewish teacher in the school building. He considered resigning for the first time in his 14-year career. She stayed there and joined the educators’ advocacy network. Anti-Defamation LeagueHe saw it as a way to make schools more inclusive of different perspectives.
“I was a teacher and I tried to focus on being the best teacher I could,” he said.
tensions over Israel-Hamas war It has spread to schools in the United States, with advocates reporting an increase in antisemitic harassment since the 2023 surprise attack on Israel. While some argue school leaders are not taking the threat seriously, others warn Criticism of Israel and military action in Gaza is often interpreted as hate speech.
The Trump administration has not punished school systems as it has hit universities accused of tolerating anti-Semitism, but schools still face pressure to respond more aggressively. Many states have pushed for new measures, including laws that critics say would stifle free speech.
Both conservative and liberal states impose greater scrutiny
Lawmakers in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee have passed measures that would increase school accountability for anti-Semitism complaints. law The agreement, signed by Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, will provide training in schools to detect and prevent antisemitism. Democratic governor in Arizona vetoed a bill On how to deal with reports of antisemitism in schools, he calls it an attack on educators.
Many measures, including the one signed by Oklahoma’s Republican governor, require the passage of a law. definition of antisemitism This treats some criticism of Israel as hate speech.
“These bills make clear that Oklahoma stands with our Jewish communities and will not tolerate hate disguised as political speech,” said Kristen Thompson, a Republican state senator from Oklahoma who wrote the bill.
Dozens of states have adopted definition It is supported by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which is also recognized by the US State Department. It lists 11 examples of antisemitic behavior, such as applying “double standards” to Israel or comparing the country’s policies to Nazism.
Supporters of this definition of antisemitism say evolving forms of Jew hatred must be combated, while civil liberties groups warn that the definition stifles pro-Palestinian rhetoric.
Trump administration’s approach contrasts with attacks on universities
The Trump administration has leveraged antisemitism investigations in its efforts to reshape higher education; It has suspended billions of dollars in federal funding to Harvard, Columbia and other universities over allegations they tolerated hate speech, particularly during protests in the United States. Israel-Hamas war.
The White House hasn’t been very involved at the K-12 level. Republicans in congressional hearings We’ve recruited some major school systems Because of their handling of antisemitism, the administration has largely left handling complaints to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
In one of the cases under investigation, students at the Berkeley Unified School District in California asked their Jewish classmates “what their numbers were,” a reference to the numbers tattooed on Jews during the Holocaust. He also noted that teachers made anti-Semitic comments and led strikes praising Hamas.
The district did not respond to a request for comment.
In another case in California, the family of a 14-year-old girl filed a federal lawsuit last year, claiming she was forced to leave College Preparatory Academy, a charter school in San Jose, in 2023 because of anti-Semitic bullying. He said that after the Hamas attack, students called him names including “terrorist.” The California Department of Education and the school said they could not comment on pending litigation.
The ADL recorded 860 anti-Semitic incidents in non-Jewish schools across the country last year, from name-calling and swastikas scratched on lockers to anti-Semitic material taught in classrooms. That number was above the 1,100 recorded in 2023, but was well above numbers in previous years, according to the ADL.
Massachusetts teachers union backs down
A Massachusetts state commission set up last year to combat antisemitism found it was a “pervasive and growing problem” in schools.
At a meeting, Democratic state Rep. Simon Cataldo, co-chairman of the committee, said the Massachusetts Teachers Association had shared anti-Semitic resources with teachers, including a kindergarten workbook that described Zionists as “bullies” and an image of the Star of David made from dollar bills. The union said these were selected from hundreds of images and posters related to Palestinians and that links to these materials have been removed.
The union said it was making efforts to combat increases in both antisemitism and Islamophobia and accused the commission of “offensive political theatre”.
“Those who manipulate antisemitism to achieve political goals, such as undermining labor unions and public educators, are following the path of the Trump administration,” the union said in a statement.
Margaret Litvin, an associate professor of Arabic and comparative literature at Boston University, said the commission “intentionally conflates criticism of Israel with prejudice against Jews and prejudice against Jews.” Litvin, co-founder of the Boston-area group Concerned Jewish Faculty and Staff, said that approach would be used to justify “drastic” state intervention in school district affairs.
The debate has reached the largest teachers’ union
The tension has reached the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, which this summer considered a proposal to remove ADL classroom materials that educators use to teach about the Holocaust and prejudice. Supporters said the ADL had a major influence on school curricula and policy and had a fundamentally pro-Israel viewpoint.
Delegates at the union’s representative assembly narrowly voted to approve the proposal, but it was rejected by the NEA board of directors. Association President Becky Pringle said the proposal “will not further NEA’s commitment to academic freedom, our membership, or our goals.”
Afterward, ADL invited K-12 educators to join a new network called BEACON: Creating Educator Allies for Change, Openness, and Networks; The network aims to help educators learn from each other how to engage and combat antisemitism and other forms of hate, he said.
Hirsch, a teacher in Colorado, was among hundreds of people who expressed interest.
Some of the backlash he faced stemmed from his online comments about local activist organizations. After donating money to Black Lives Matter groups and supporting them with a banner in his yard, he expressed feelings of betrayal when he saw the groups expressing support for Palestinians and not Israel.
He said he was surprised by the reaction of the mostly Hispanic school community to the posts. A former debate coach, he aims to help students share their ideas constructively through his work with the ADL network.
“If we’re giving them the opportunity to hate and we’re giving someone the opportunity to make enemies, that really goes against what we’re trying to do as a society,” he said.
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