Jewish groups sue California for alleged antisemitism in schools

Two Jewish advocacy groups sue California for alleged antisemitism in the state’s school system.

The suit, filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and StandWithUs, also names the California State Board of Education, the State Department of Education, and the state superintendent, Tony Thurmond.

The case, filed on behalf of Jewish parents, alleges antisemitism in school districts including Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland.

Some of the incidents targeting Jewish students described in the lawsuit include a third-grade student called a “racist” by her teacher; a student forced to attend a teacher’s celebration of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre of Israelis; a ninth grader whose art teacher displayed a Star of David being punctured by a fist; a walkout that included chants of “Fuck the Jews”; a middle schooler who was choked by a classmate and told, “Shut your stupid Jew ass up;” a student’s mother mocked as a “Zionist Nazi bitch” after reporting antisemitic slurs at a school board meeting; and a middle schooler who was chased by classmates and told, “We want you to die,” after he was heard speaking Hebrew.

The lawsuit says teachers and teacher unions contributed to anti-Jewish discrimination, including by adding a book to the curriculum for kindergarteners and elementary school students that said, “I is for Intifada.”

The suit claims California administrators did not adequately address the incidents in violation of civil rights protections.

The case, filed in the Los Angeles state superior court, has the backing of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Anti-Defamation League.