Independent Schools Need More Tools to Fight Antisemitism in Their Classrooms

Too many American schools fail Jewish students by not addressing antisemitism head-on.

Thankfully, more of them now realize these shortcomings and want to make meaningful changes.

As the last school year drew to a close in May, 160 leaders from 32 of New York City’s leading independent schools gathered for a single, urgent purpose: to better support Jewish students and build educational communities that have the knowledge, tools, and moral clarity to respond to antisemitism in all its manifestations and regardless of its source.

Convened by American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Center for Education Advocacy and the New York University Center for the Study of Antisemitism, this first-of-its-kind gathering was a recognition that this an urgent issue for schools to tackle.

AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report found that 96% of American Jews aged 18-29 believe antisemitism is a problem in the US, and 93% believe it has increased in the last five years. But among their peers in the general US adult population, those numbers dropped to 59% and 43% respectively.

We have seen the consequences of these disparate beliefs — when the peers of younger Jews don’t think antisemitism is as serious a problem, Jewish youth experience gaslighting, othering, and exclusion.

The polarization, exclusion, and breakdown of civil discourse that fuel antisemitism also threaten the functioning of our society as a whole. Addressing these issues must begin in kindergarten and continue through high school graduation.

For this meaningful and challenging work to take place, trusted relationships with school leaders need to be cultivated. That is our shared responsibility as educators, and why there is no time to waste.

Educational institutions are the lynchpin to ensuring that today’s students are equipped with the knowledge, empathy, and skills to engage in dialogue, which are indispensable to a functioning democracy. They are well-equipped to foster empathy in their students while providing a strong civic education.

As we’ve heard from college leaders, we cannot fix campus culture if we neglect the K–12 pipeline that feeds it. Issues like identity politics, deepening divisions, and “us vs. them” mindsets begin early — and schools must confront them right away.

The educators at the summit came away with a deeper understanding of how they can live up to their schools’ missions by ensuring the safety and belonging of the Jewish members of their school community, including faculty, staff, students, and their parents.

To aid those efforts, AJC has published an action plan for independent school administrators, so that we can provide a roadmap for those looking to make meaningful change.

Among its recommendations:

• Implement mandatory educational programs about Jewish identity and antisemitism for administrators and staff responsible for a culture of belonging. Understanding Jews and antisemitism is vital to effectively address these issues in classrooms.
• Organize education programs about antisemitism for students and parents. Most Americans only have a passing familiarity with Jewish culture and identity. Providing more education can foster an environment where there is zero tolerance for anti-Jewish hate.
• Establish and publicize clear goals for promptly responding to antisemitic incidents and provide guidance on how incidents should be reported and how they will be addressed.
• Provide professional development for faculty on how to teach about the Israel-Palestinian conflict, whose best practices include classrooms promoting viewpoint diversity, fact-based inquiry and the use of primary sources to promote and open and respectful dialogue.

The summit laid the foundation for this serious, positive change — but it is one of only many steps that must be taken to make much-needed progress. The students sitting in today’s classrooms will inherit a democracy already strained by division and mistrust.

If we cannot teach them to engage across differences respectfully, to recognize hatred in its many forms, and to build bridges across ideological divides, we will have failed them — and ourselves — in the most consequential way possible.

Ira Glasser is Director of K-12 Education, New York, at the American Jewish Committee’s Center for Education Advocacy.

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