More than a third of US parents report classroom antisemitism — ADL survey

Majority of Jews polled — 71% — say their children have witnessed or experienced anti-Jewish discrimination

Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.

Pro-Palestinian protesters at a high school walkout near Bryant Park in New York City, November 9, 2023. (Luke Tress via JTA)
Pro-Palestinian protesters at a high school walkout near Bryant Park in New York City, November 9, 2023. (Luke Tress via JTA)

NEW YORK — More than a third of US parents reported antisemitism in their children’s classrooms, according to a survey released on Monday.

A higher proportion of Jewish parents — 71 percent — reported classroom antisemitism than the 37% of non-Jewish parents, the poll from the Anti-Defamation League found. The discrepancy indicates Jewish students are more likely to experience or notice anti-Jewish discrimination, the ADL said.

The survey by the ADL’s Center for Antisemitism Research also found a correlation between Holocaust and antisemitism education, and students’ recognition of antisemitism. The parents of children who did not receive education on antisemitism were 46% less likely to report the discrimination, the survey said.

Support for antisemitism education was overwhelming, with 86% of parents backing either optional or mandatory programs on anti-Jewish discrimination, and 88% supporting Holocaust education.

Just 21% of the parents surveyed said their children’s school provides antisemitism education, and 30% said their children received Holocaust education. Twenty-nine states, including New York, mandate Holocaust education, although some Jewish advocates have questioned the efficacy of the programs.

To gauge antisemitism, the survey asked parents about how problematic prejudice was against Jewish students and other minority groups in their local school district, according to a copy of the survey the ADL shared with The Times of Israel. The survey did not include a definition of antisemitism.

The poll also asked parents about Israel-related scenarios in their children’s schools, including Jewish students being called out in class discussions about Israel because they were Jewish; comparisons between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Holocaust; teachers or course materials using the terms “settler colonialism” or “ethnic cleansing” in a discussion about Israel; stereotypes about Jews or Israelis; debates about whether Israel should exist; and accusations that Israel is committing genocide.

The ADL said the survey queried a representative sample of 817 American adults, 223 of whom were parents of a current K-12 student. The survey took place in October and had a margin of error of 4.2%.

Antisemitism in schools has become a major concern for Jewish organizations in the past year. An ADL antisemitism survey released in March reported 1,162 incidents in K-12 schools in 2023, a 135% increase over the previous year.

The ADL opened a new center to combat antisemitism in education in October and has pressed for legal action on the issue, including in a lawsuit against the School District of Philadelphia. The US Department of Education said last week that the school district had failed to respond to antisemitic incidents including Nazi salutes and swastikas drawn on doors. The district agreed to take action including training staff and distributing an anti-harassment statement.

The issue of antisemitism in schools came to the fore in the weeks after the October 7 attack, when students targeted a Jewish teacher in an anti-Israel rampage at a Queens, New York high school, making national headlines.

Anti-Jewish and anti-Israel incidents have continued to cause concern in recent weeks. Earlier this month, National Association of Independent Schools, a leading US private schools organization, apologized for antisemitic rhetoric at a conference it held in Colorado.

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