An overwhelming majority of Jewish educators in the US say they have seen first-hand — or even experienced — antisemitism in their respective schools, a new alarming study found.
The survey of 584 teachers in K-12 public schools and non-Jewish private schools across the country found that 61.6% of respondents experienced or witnessed antisemitism in a professional setting, while 45.5% said the vile hate came from their unions, according to the study published by StandWithUs.
“As a Jewish public school educator, these findings, while disturbing, do not come as a shock,” National Education Association Jewish Affairs Caucus boss Alyson Brauning said in a statement.
The survey found that over 60% of respondents experienced antisemitism in a professional setting. Tom RoartyOf the 65% of respondents who said they were required to attend anti-bias training at work, a mere 10% said the training included information on antisemitism, the study revealed.
Antisemitism incidents in public schools have skyrocketed ever since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on Israeli civilians — which saw 1,200 people murdered in a single day.
“We have seen an antisemitism crisis unfold since the October 7th Massacre, far too many Jewish educators work in hostile environments, with far too little support from their administrators or unions,” StandWithUs Executive Director David Smokler said in a statement.
In April 2024, A Jewish teacher at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica was forced to lock herself inside her classroom as furious students attempted to barge in during a nearly two-hour riot sparked by her attendance at a pro-Israel rally.
Nearly half of respondents said they experienced antisemitism from their teachers union. gn8 – stock.adobe.comLast December, a Brooklyn middle school principal denied a parent’s request to have a Holocaust survivor speak at her school because she disagreed with his views on Israel.
And just this month, Parents at Brooklyn Technical High School were outraged after a teacher inserted an anti-Israel movie and book into his curriculum and failed to include any content that showed the Israeli perspective.
Jewish educators in the Big Apple have also blasted the United Federation of Teachers union for endorsing socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has made anti-Israel comments, and for failing to combat antisemitism in the city’s public schools.
