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The Ongoing Crisis of Antisemitism in K-12 Education
If you think antisemitism is bad at the university level, wait until you read what’s happening in K-12 schools across the country.
A concerned teacher recently reached out to me, horrified by the content being used to educate students about antisemitism. The materials provided by the National Education Association (NEA), particularly a document from Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ), are filled with misinformation and, in my view, are themselves antisemitic.
This teacher has tirelessly sought support from various Jewish organizations to address these concerns, but she keeps hitting a wall. It seems that many organizations are reluctant to do battle with a powerful union like the NEA, leaving this teacher and others like her without the necessary support to combat these problematic educational materials.
The JFREJ document propagates a specific political agenda, portraying Israel as a white settler colonial state and ignoring the complex history and diverse demographics of Israel and the Jewish people.
JFREJ’s document suggests that Jews with light skin are complicit in white supremacy — and that’s not the only Jew-hating piece of trash in this document.
By choosing to use this material, the NEA is making a political statement. This choice reflects an alignment with far-left perspectives rather than a balanced approach to addressing antisemitism.
By choosing a Jewish organization that does not represent mainstream Jewish thought, and in fact, an organization that most of the Jewish community believes spreads antisemitism, the NEA is insulting the Jewish community by defining antisemitism according to its radical agenda.
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice is a fringe group that has aligned with far-left ideologies, and partners with other ostensibly Jewish, but really antisemitic, organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace.
Recent headlines have been filled with reports of rising antisemitism on college campuses, but the more insidious threat lies in our K-12 schools. Ethnic studies programs, particularly those following the radical Liberatory Ethnic Studies (LES) model, are indoctrinating young students against Israel by falsely labeling it a white settler colonial state. This biased education fosters a generation of young antisemites.
There are disturbing trends in K-12 education. Jewish students are being targeted not only by their peers, but also by teachers and administrators. Parents have described their alarm as antisemitism infiltrates their children’s curriculum.
In Washington State, ethnic studies have infiltrated every aspect of K-12 education, evolving from a vague legislative suggestion into a mandate. Aggressive advocacy groups with deep pockets push for ethnic studies to be the lens through which all education is viewed, promoting a Marxist and Maoist-based liberatory model.
This model explicitly positions Palestinians as marginalized and Israel as a white colonialist oppressor, distorting history and legitimizing antisemitic views among young students.
The Liberatory Ethnic Studies (LES) model, rooted in power and oppression analysis, aims to transform the school system into an agent of change, often at the expense of academic excellence and democratic values.
Throughout California and other states, antisemitism in K-12 schools has become increasingly prevalent, particularly following the October 7 mass murder and rape of Israelis.
Reports detail shocking behaviors such as second-graders being told to write anti-Israel messages, teachers encouraging unsanctioned student protests in support of Gaza, and Jewish students being harassed with antisemitic slurs. Some teachers have even suggested that Israelis were responsible for the violence inflicted on them.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and other Jewish organizations have been inundated with calls from concerned parents, especially in the Bay Area, reporting these incidents.
The Israeli American Council reported a 690 percent increase in antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents in K-12 schools within three months of the October 7 attack. These incidents ranged from student bullying and vandalism, to discriminatory class materials and teacher statements.
The reluctance of Jewish organizations to confront the NEA underscores the significant influence that powerful unions hold over educational policies. The struggle of the teacher I mentioned to gain support highlights a broader issue, where political considerations often overshadow the need to address serious concerns like antisemitism. The NEA’s powerful position makes it daunting for individuals and smaller organizations to challenge their decisions.
For educators seeking comprehensive and balanced resources on antisemitism, organizations like the ADL offer materials designed to combat hate and educate students without political bias. Their resources help ensure that schools promote understanding and respect rather than division and misinformation.
The current wave of antisemitism in our schools is a serious issue that requires immediate attention. It is time for the Jewish community and other concerned groups to take a stand and demand better from powerful unions like the NEA. Only then can we hope to create an educational environment that is truly inclusive and free from antisemitism. This effort is not just about addressing the present concerns, but is part of a broader mission I discuss in my forthcoming book, From Outrage to Action: A Practical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism.
The post The Ongoing Crisis of Antisemitism in K-12 Education first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Three Arrested at Protest in Scotland Against Israeli Athlete Competing in Bowls Tournament
Palestinian supporters protesting outside a Scotland vs. Israel match at the a UEFA Women’s European Qualifiers at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland on May 31, 2024. Photo: Alex Todd/Sportpix/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Three protesters were arrested and charged after participating in an anti-Israel demonstration in Scotland on Sunday that targeted an Israeli bowl player competing in the World Bowls Indoor Championship taking place in the Scottish city of Aberdeen.
The protest was co-organized by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) and was largely held outside the Aberdeen Indoor Bowling Club, where Israeli athlete Boaz Markus was competing, according to the Scottish newspaper The National. The international tournament runs from April 20-25. A flyer for Sunday’s protest described Markus as “a representative of the illegal, apartheid Israeli state currently carrying out genocide.”
Protesters outside the arena chanted against Israel while holding Palestinian flags and placards calling for an end to Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip ahead of Markus’s match at 1 pm. Video shared on social media by the pro-Palestinian group Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card, which co-organized the protest, also showed two demonstrators inside the venue chanting “Free, free Palestine,” shouting that Markus was “not welcome in Scotland,” and making further accusations about Israel committing “war crimes” and “murdering babies.” The protesters were eventually escorted out of the venue by police. The mayhem caused Markus’ match to be delayed by two hours.
On Sunday, police said two people had been arrested and that “enquiries are ongoing,” but then released an update on Monday explaining that another person had been arrested and charged in relation to the protest, The National reported.
“On Sunday, April 20, 2025, officers attended a pre-planned demonstration on Summerhill Road in Aberdeen,” said a police spokesperson. “Two women aged 57 and 63, and a 56-year-old man were arrested and charged. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal [public prosecutor].”
Maggie Chapman, Green Member of the Scottish Parliament, also participated in the anti-Israel rally on Sunday.
“Sport is meant to be for everyone, but Israel is a racist apartheid state, built on denying even the most basic human rights to people under occupation,” she said. “I was proud to join today’s protest against Israel’s systematic repression of Palestinians and the normalization of war crimes. Sporting and cultural boycotts were an important act of solidarity against the apartheid regime in South Africa and are an important act way of standing with the people of Gaza.”
Chapman criticized the police response to the demonstration, calling it “totally disproportionate.”
“Protest is not a crime, but genocide is, and we all have a responsibility to stand against it,” she stated.
Earlier this month, SPSC tried to pressure World Bowls, which is the international federation for the sport of bowls, to disinvite Markus from the World Bowls Indoor Championship. The anti-Israel group accused World Bowls and the Aberdeen Indoor Bowling Club of “sportswashing Israeli genocide.” Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card sponsored an open letter that called on the Scottish government to intervene if World Bowls failed to rescind Markus’ invitation to the tournament.
World Bowls CEO Neil Dalrymple responded, saying at the time that the federation will not rescind Markus’ invitation. He also asked protesters not to disrupt the competition. “World Bowls is very pleased to be staging the World Bowls Indoor Championship in Aberdeen,” he told the Scottish Sun.
“World Bowls has 60 member countries from across the world including Israel and all of our members continue to be welcome and eligible to participate in all World Bowls staged events,” he added. “Our view is that sport and politics should not be intertwined. We will be allowing the representative of Israel to play in this World Bowls event, and we hope that all players and officials will enjoy their visit to Aberdeen. We respect the right for people to protest whilst we hope that they will respect the right for World Bowls to stage this competition without disruption inside the venue.”
The post Three Arrested at Protest in Scotland Against Israeli Athlete Competing in Bowls Tournament first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Molotov Cocktail Thrown at Ukrainian Synagogue in Antisemitic Attack Hours After Passover
In an antisemitic attack, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Photo: Screenshot
A Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue in Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine, on Saturday night, as the local Jewish community continues to experience an increasing wave of antisemitic incidents.
Just hours after the Jewish holiday of Passover ended, Chabad emissary and city Rabbi Liron Edri was alerted by the synagogue’s security system — funded by Chabad World Assistance (CWA) and supported by the Jewish Agency’s Security Fund — that several Molotov cocktails had been thrown at the building.
Edri explained that the security system — which includes shatter-resistant windows, surveillance cameras, and a rapid-response alarm network — prevented a major disaster by stopping the Molotov cocktails from breaching the building and causing serious damage.
“Thanks to the window reinforcement installed in recent months, a large fire was prevented,” the city’s rabbi said.
He also warned that the attack followed a disturbing pattern, similar to a recent antisemitic incident in Mykolaiv, a city near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, where Molotov cocktails were also thrown at a local synagogue.
“We fear this is a planned trend against Jewish communities,” Edri said. “There seems to be a growing pattern of coordinated attempts to intimidate and harm Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.”
As local authorities initiated an investigation into the attack, Edri praised their swift and effective response.
“We will not let fear stop us,” the rabbi said. “Light will dispel darkness, and I thank the police and government who immediately came to the synagogue and promised to conduct an investigation and arrest the perpetrators.”
Ukraine has experienced an increasing wave of antisemitic incidents, as Russia’s ongoing war has fueled political instability, amplified nationalist rhetoric, and sparked a rise in antisemitic discourse across certain regions.
Last week, a vehicle displaying Jewish symbols was vandalized, with its tires slashed, community emblems defaced, and paint splattered across the car’s body.
Edri condemned the antisemitic act, describing it as part of a growing wave of targeted assaults against the local Jewish community intended to harm and intimidate them.
“The vandalism was clearly targeted,” he said. “There was nothing random about it. This was an act aimed at harming us as a Jewish community.”
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Jewish Groups Mourn Death of Pope Francis, Who Condemned Antisemitism and Supported Interfaith Dialogue
Pope Francis holds prayer for migrants and refugees, with the ‘Angels Unawares’ monument, dedicated to the world’s migrants and refugees, behind him in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Oct. 19, 2023. Photo: Reuters
Major Jewish organizations around the world are mourning the passing of Pope Francis, who actively promoted interfaith dialogue between Jewish and Catholic communities and strongly condemned antisemitism.
Francis’s death was announced on Monday morning, one day after he marked Easter with a public appearance in the Vatican. He was 88.
In a released statement, World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder described the Argentine-born Pope, who was the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff, as “a true moral leader, a man of deep faith and humanity, and a steadfast friend to the Jewish people.”
“From his early years in Argentina to his papacy, Pope Francis was deeply committed to fostering interfaith dialogue and ensuring that the memory of the Holocaust remained a guiding lesson for future generations,” Lauder added.
With Francis’s leadership, the WJC opened an office on Via della Conciliazione, mere steps from St. Peter’s Basilica. In November 2022, the WJC’s executive committee held a private audience with Francis and launched the historic “Kishreinu” (Our Bond) initiative, further promoting Catholic-Jewish relations.
“While there were moments of difficulty, particularly in recent months, I remain deeply appreciative of his warmth, humility, and unwavering dedication to meaningful engagement between faith communities,” Lauder stated, seemingly referring to Francis’s outspoken criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. “On behalf of the World Jewish Congress and the more than 100 Jewish communities around the globe, I extend my deepest condolences to all those who were touched by his remarkable spirit. May his memory be a blessing and an inspiration to us all.”
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was elected to serve as pope in 2013, was the first non-European pontiff since 741. He assumed leadership of the Vatican after serving as a priest, bishop, archbishop, and cardinal in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he “enjoyed an exemplary relationship with the Argentinian Jewish community,” according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
Despite making statements over the past 18 months against Israel and its war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Francis has been a longtime supporter of the Jewish community and consistently condemned antisemitism. He was reportedly the first pope to visit the tomb of Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl.
“Early on in his tenure, [he] strongly affirmed positive Catholic-Jewish relations as an integral part of the post-Vatican II Church,” the AJC added in a statement. “Francis made pilgrimages that were substantive visuals of the new era in the Church’s understanding of Jews, Judaism, and the State of Israel,” including a visit to Israel in 2014, the Great Synagogue in Rome in 2016 and, the site of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 2016. The pope also met with AJC delegations at the Vatican in 2014 and 2019.
“Pope Francis repeatedly condemned antisemitism and characterized it as both a sin against God and unchristian,” the AJC noted. “Francis stressed that ‘for a Christian any form of antisemitism is a rejection of one’s own origins, a complete contradiction.’”
“In this sixtieth anniversary year of Nostra Aetate, as we celebrate the positive transformation of Catholic-Jewish relations … we are grateful for Pope Francis’s indispensable leadership and contributions in this shared journey,” said AJC’s Director of Interreligious Affairs Rabbi Noam Marans. “We stand in solidarity with our Catholic brothers and sisters during this time of mourning. May the memory of Pope Francis be for a blessing.”
Francis “was a steadfast advocate for interfaith dialogue and mutual respect between religions,” the European Jewish Congress (EJC) said in a released statement. “His unwavering commitment to combating antisemitism and fostering a spirit of brotherhood between Christians and Jews will be remembered with gratitude and admiration.”
“We have fond and enduring memories of our audiences with the late Pope and his deep commitment to fostering dialogue with Jewish communities and fierce opposition to antisemitism,” added EJC Executive Vice-President Raya Kalenova.
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), similarly praised Francis’s “untiring efforts in promoting peace.”
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, read a text announcing Francis’s death on Monday from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived. Farrell was accompanied by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state; Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute chief of staff; and Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of liturgical ceremonies. The Vatican did not give a cause of death, but Francis suffered multiple health issues in recent years, most recently overcoming double pneumonia.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Farrell read. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father’s house. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized.”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wisenthal Center, remembered Francis for his efforts to denounce antisemitism, how he opened the Vatican’s secret World War II archives in 2020 and “urged people of faith to work together for a better world.”
Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs, who met Francis in 2017, said the relationship between the Catholic and Jewish communities “flourished under Pope Francis’s guidance.”
“He honored the shared heritage of our faiths and took meaningful steps to heal historical wounds, reinforcing a path toward mutual respect and collaboration,” Jacobs noted. “We especially appreciated Pope Francis’s consistent calls for dialogue and mutual respect between Israelis and Palestinians.”
For the first time since surviving double pneumonia, Francis made a grand public appearance in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. He greeted tens of thousands of Catholics, after the Vatican’s celebration of Easter Mass, and shared an Easter message. He called on Hamas to release the remaining hostages – abducted during the terrorist group’s deadly rampage across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 – and said the “growing climate of antisemitism around the world is worrisome.” He also condemned the “dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation” in Gaza and reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire to end the fighting.
“I express my closeness to the sufferings … of all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,” read Francis’s Easter message. “I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”
In 2013, while speaking to the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, Francis declared, “Due to our common roots, a Christian cannot be antisemitic!”
“I had the joy of maintaining relations of sincere friendship with leaders of the Jewish world,” added Francis. “We talked often of our respective religious identities, the image of man found in the Scriptures, and how to keep an awareness of God alive in a world now secularized in many ways. … But above all, as friends, we enjoyed each other’s company, we were all enriched through encounter and dialogue, and we welcomed each other, and this helped all of us grow as people and as believers.”
Francis also often urged his followers not to forget the lessons of the Holocaust. “The memory of the Shoah [Holocaust] and its atrocious violence must never be forgotten,” he said in a 2018 message, which was relayed through the Vatican’s secretary of state in Berlin. “It should be a constant warning for all of us of an obligation to reconciliation, of reciprocal comprehension and love toward our ‘elder brothers,’ the Jews.”
In 2010, Francis co-wrote, with fellow Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka, the book On Heaven and Earth, which focuses on the differences and similarities between Judaism and Catholicism. In 2017, Francis and Skorka co-authored an introduction for Morality and Legality in Dark Times, a book written by three Argentine doctors about medical experiments conducted by Nazis on concentration camp prisoners during World War II. They wrote that the “human arrogance exposed during the Shoah was the action of people who felt like gods, and shows the aberrant dimension in which we can fall if we forget where we came from and where we are going.”
The post Jewish Groups Mourn Death of Pope Francis, Who Condemned Antisemitism and Supported Interfaith Dialogue first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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