Confronting Antisemitism in Schools: A Toolkit for Jewish High School Students

Every student should be able to learn, participate, and succeed without having to hide an important part of their identity. Jewish students should feel safe expressing their religious, cultural, ethnic, and national identities; see Jewish experiences represented accurately; and know that they belong in the school community. 

You Can: Help Jewish Students Connect With Each Other

Jewish student groups can create opportunities to celebrate Jewish life, build community, and support one another. When schools support these groups, they help strengthen Jewish belonging. 

Start here: 

Does your school have a Jewish club, like a Jewish Student Association (JSA) or Jewish Student Union (JSU)?

• If yes: Think about how the school could better support the group. What would you suggest?
• If no: Could you start one? Talk to your advisor or student activities coordinator about how to get one going.
• If a formal club is not possible, ask whether Jewish students can meet informally before or after school, during lunch, or with the support of a faculty advisor. 

Encourage your school to offer cultural, social, and educational programs about Jewish identity, history, traditions, and contemporary Jewish life.

• Write an article for your school newspaper about Jewish identity, antisemitism, Israel, Jewish history, or another issue that matters to you. 
• Work with your school librarian to identify accurate, current, and age-appropriate books by Jewish authors and about Jewish life. Offer to help curate book displays that feature Jewish stories, traditions, and culture (beyond the Holocaust). If they don’t have many, ask what the library's process is for acquiring new books. 
• LFT students have also found creative ways to educate their communities through partnerships with schools and libraries. 

Encourage your school to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month in May. Students might work with the library to feature books by and about Jewish Americans, highlight Jewish American history during announcements, organize a speaker or film discussion, or share stories about Jewish contributions to American life. Click here and see below for some ideas!

Make Your School More Aware of Jewish Culture and Holidays
Share AJC’s Guide to Jewish Religion, Culture, and Holidays with your principal, advisors, and teachers. It has a 5-year calendar so they can better plan around Jewish holidays, plus information on Jewish traditions and life-cycle events. If your school includes religious holidays in its calendar, Jewish holidays should be there too.

• Important: Schools should make reasonable efforts to avoid scheduling major events, exams, or required activities on significant Jewish holidays and should provide appropriate accommodations when conflicts occur. You should feel comfortable asking for accommodations when you need them. Request accommodations in writing as early as possible. Keep a copy of your request and the school’s response. 
• Work with other student clubs at your school to plan joint activities and projects.

Ensure That Antisemitism and Jewish Identity Are Included in School Programs 

You should get to participate in well-rounded belonging and inclusion programs that include education about the Jewish community and antisemitism.

What you can do:

• If your school already has regular belonging and inclusion programs that don’t address antisemitism or the Jewish experience, schedule a meeting with your principal (or the administrator responsible for belonging and inclusion) to ask why and request that these topics be included. Reach out to us for help if you face pushback.

Antisemitism is discrimination, hostility, or violence directed at Jews because they’re Jewish. Sometimes it’s obvious, such as a Nazi symbol, an antisemitic slur, or a verbal/visual threat. Other forms of antisemitism may be harder to recognize, especially in text messages, group chats, social media posts, or anonymous apps. 

Criticism of Israel or the policies of the Israeli government is not inherently antisemitic. But discussions about Israel can cross into antisemitism when they use anti-Jewish stereotypes, hold Jews collectively responsible for Israel’s actions, or target Jewish students because of their Jewish identity or connection to Israel. 

A comment or action may be antisemitic if it:

• Uses stereotypes or conspiracies about Jewish power, money, loyalty, or control.
• Mocks Jewish religious practices, traditions, identity, or history. 
• Minimizes, denies, or makes jokes about the Holocaust.
• Blames Jewish students for the actions of the Israeli government.
• Expects Jewish students to explain or defend events in Israel because they are Jewish.
• Uses discussions about Israel to target, exclude, intimidate, or discriminate against Jewish students.

You do not need to determine on your own whether an incident “counts” as antisemitism before asking for help. If something makes you feel targeted because you’re Jewish, seek out a trusted adult. Be sure to save any relevant messages, posts, or screenshots. The goal should be for a trusted adult to help you determine whether additional action and reporting are necessary and what your next steps should be. 

Report Incidents Right Away

If you experience or see discrimination or harassment, report it as soon as possible. According to AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report, 77% of Jewish Americans who experienced antisemitism didn’t report it; however, reporting is key to ensuring that schools resolve individual incidents and understand how widespread issues may be. We know that reporting antisemitism can feel uncomfortable or even scary. Sometimes you might not be sure how to interpret what you experienced. It’s important to discuss what you experienced with a trusted adult in your life so you can think about how best to proceed. 

Tips for Reporting:

1. Get to a safe place. If anyone is in immediate danger, contact a trusted adult or emergency services.
2. Tell a trusted adult. Speak with a parent, teacher, counselor, advisor, or administrator.
3. Document what happened. Record the date, time, location, people involved, witnesses, and exact words or actions.
4. Save evidence. Keep screenshots, messages, emails, photographs, or links. Do not repost harmful content.
5. Report the incident. Use the school’s reporting process and ask for written confirmation that the report was received.
6. Ask about next steps. Find out who will follow up and when you should expect a response.
7. Keep a record. Save copies of reports, emails, meeting notes, and school responses.
8. Report retaliation or repeated behavior. Tell a trusted adult immediately if someone threatens, excludes, or targets you because you made a report.

After you report, your school should take your concerns seriously, gather information, speak with the people involved, and take action to address any discrimination. For complete guidance and a checklist on how schools should respond, communicate, and support students once an incident has occurred, please see and share with your school AJC’s Guidance and Checklist for Responding to Discrimination Incidents for K-12 Administrators.

Different laws and policies apply depending on whether your school is public or private, your location, and other factors. In some situations, it might be helpful to speak with an attorney or an organization that helps students who have experienced discrimination or hate. If you need legal advice, we can help connect you and your parent(s)/guardian to the right people. Here are some basics:

In Public K-12 Schools:

• Federal law protects students from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
• This includes protection for Jewish and/or Israeli students against harassment due to perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, or citizenship/residency in a country with a dominant religion.
• Schools must address any discrimination or harassment they know about by taking prompt and effective steps to stop it, fix any harm, and prevent future incidents.
• Federal law also protects you from retaliation for reporting discrimination, participating in investigations, or advocating for your rights. 
• You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

In Independent K-12 Schools:

• School policies should protect students against discrimination and harassment. 
• Codes of conduct should clearly outline what constitutes discrimination and harassment and how to report an incident.
• Schools often update their codes of conduct to address new circumstances, so if your school’s code of conduct is missing something, talk to your parent/guardian about addressing it with your school.

Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT), AJC’s leadership program for Jewish high school students, helps participants strengthen their Jewish identities, respond to antisemitism, and advocate for the Jewish people and Israel. LFT gives Jewish teens the knowledge and network to handle challenges in high school and on their future college campus. LFT participants join a national alumni network of over 3,800 students and continue to develop their advocacy skills in schools, on college campuses, and in their communities. Applications are open every summer and close in early fall. Interested? Reach out to [email protected].

AJC Resources You Can Share

AJC provides resources, action plans, and guidance that you, your parents, and teachers can trust. Share the links below with administrators and teachers. Even better, bring a printed copy to a conversation with a teacher or school leader. Using these resources in conversation can be a powerful way to advocate for yourself and your school community. If there’s guidance you’re looking for and we don’t appear to have it, let us know!

• AJC’s Guide to Jewish Religion, Culture, and Holidays: Brief descriptions of religious denominations, holiday traditions, and life cycle events; the 5-year planning calendar makes it an indispensable resource for administrators and teachers.
• AJC’s Translate Hate: Glossary of antisemitic terms, tropes, themes, and memes, from the internet to pop culture - essential for identifying, exposing, and reporting antisemitism.
• AJC’s Guide to Recognizing When Anti-Israel Actions Become Antisemitic: Specific examples and explanations of how contemporary manifestations are connected to historic tropes.
• AJC’s Guide for Jewish Teens on Engaging with Social Media: Ways to stay safe online, plus accounts worth following.
• AJC’s Educational Programs for Middle and High School Spaces: Programs covering Jewish people, identity, history, Israel, Zionism, and antisemitism.
• AJC’s Action Plan for Independent School Administrators and Action Plan for K-12 Public School Administrators: Comprehensive guides to help confront antisemitism in schools. 

Find all these materials (and more!) on AJC’s Education Resource Hub.
AJC’s Center for Education Advocacy is here to support you. 
You can always reach us at [email protected].