In this moment of rising antisemitism, many schools have taken the welcome and important step of bringing in outside speakers and organizations to lead educational programs on Jewish identity and antisemitism for faculty, students, and parents. But not all programming is created equal, and school leaders are responsible for determining whether a given program is culturally responsive and pedagogically sound before it is presented in school. 

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, offers this guidance to help K-12 administrators make thoughtful, well-informed choices and avoid common pitfalls when evaluating and choosing externally provided education about antisemitism.

Responsible education about antisemitism does more than protect Jewish students – it strengthens the critical thinking and civic habits all students need in a pluralistic democracy.

BACKGROUND

AJC's State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report found that 91% of American Jews feel less safe due to violent antisemitic attacks, and for the second year in a row, more than half (55%) changed their behavior out of fear of antisemitism. The impact is most acute for younger American Jews: nearly half (47%) say they were personally targeted by antisemitism in the last year, compared to 28% of those age 30 and older. For K-12 administrators, these trends are not abstract: they are playing out in classrooms, hallways, and online spaces right now.

Antisemitism is an enduring hatred that adapts to reflect societal, political, and economic conditions. At its core, it blames Jews for societal problems through conspiracy myths. Tropes about Jewish power, control, greed, depravity, and disloyalty persist over time and increasingly appear in contemporary discourse that demonizes and libels Israel and Zionism (the belief in the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel). 

Education about Jewish identity and antisemitism can fall short, even with good intentions. Programs that are well-meaning but incomplete, outdated, or not representative of the diverse views and experiences of the Jewish community can leave students with a partial or distorted understanding. AJC recognizes, too, that every school community is different: cultural demographics, local history, curriculum standards, and community dynamics all shape how antisemitism manifests and how it should be addressed. There is no one-size-fits-all program, but there are clear, evidence-based questions every school can ask before bringing programming into their community.

EVALUATE: WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Vet the Presenter or Program

  • Demonstrated expertise: The presenter or organization should have specific expertise in Jewish identity and antisemitism, not general diversity and inclusion training alone.
  • Draws from credible, representative sources: All materials, including resources, handouts, and multimedia, should be drawn from mainstream sources, and define the Jewish people accurately, reflecting the perspectives and diversity of the broader American Jewish community. For example, any responsible program on Jewish identity will include discussion of the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel and the modern State of Israel. Eight in ten American Jews consider caring about Israel an essential or important part of their Jewish identity; omitting or minimizing this connection misrepresents contemporary Jewish life. Programs should reflect the diversity of Jewish perspectives rather than elevating a narrow segment of opinion, such as antizionist voices, as representative of the community.
  • Addresses antisemitism and antizionism: Antisemitism can appear in familiar tropes about Jewish greed, disloyalty, or deceit, but it also manifests in antizionism: demonizing and libelous discourse about Israel and Zionism. Responsible education about Jewish identity and antisemitism should address both. Without this context, students are left with an incomplete understanding of contemporary anti-Jewish rhetoric and actions.
  • Addresses antisemitism across contexts: The program recognizes that antisemitism surfaces across the political and social spectrum, including within right wing as well as progressive, anti-racist, and social justice spaces.
  • Provides practical tools: The program equips participants to identify antisemitic themes in discourse about Israel, using a framework such as Natan Sharansky's 3Ds.

Ensure These Four Core Content Areas Are Covered

  • Jewish identity and diversity: Students and faculty understand that the Jewish people comprise 0.2% of the global population and are multinational and multi-ethnic, with millennia of shared history, sacred texts, culture, and language.
  • Definition and evolution of antisemitism: Students and faculty learn how historical tropes and false accusations (power, control, greed, disloyalty, blood libel – many rooted in Christian antisemitism) evolve over time to blame Jews for a society’s given problems and evils, and can recognize them in contemporary contexts.
  • Jewish connection to Israel: Students and faculty understand the Jewish people’s more than 3,000-year historical, religious, and archaeological connection to the Land of Israel, as well as the modern state of Israel, where nearly half of the world’s Jews live today. 
  • Antisemitism that manifests as antizionism: Students and faculty can identify when “Israel” or “Zionist” is used as a stand-in for “Jew,” and when . Programs should also address how Jewish students are often targeted because of their perceived or actual connection to Israel. 

Red Flags:

  • Tokenization: Treating Jewish voices that represent the views of a tiny minority of the Jewish community as representative of the entire Jewish community

  • Oversimplification: Flattening the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into a simple oppressor/victim narrative

  • The missing link: Materials that fail to connect antisemitism and antizionism, leaving students or faculty unable to recognize anti-Jewish themes in discourse about Israel

  • “Zionist” as slur: Resources that use “Zionist” as a pejorative or fail to define it accurately

SUSTAIN: WHAT TO DO IN ADDITION TO AN EDUCATION PROGRAM TO BUILD A SCHOOL CULTURE THAT REJECTS ANTISEMITISM

What This Looks Like in Practice

  • Clear policy: The school adopts and consistently enforces policies that refuse the normalization of antisemitic language, imagery, or behavior – online and in person.
  • Prompt intervention: Staff intervene promptly when anti-Jewish comments or conduct surface, including language that holds Jewish students responsible for the actions of the democratically elected Israeli government.
  • Curriculum integration: Diverse Jewish experiences and perspectives are incorporated throughout the curriculum, not just in Holocaust units.
  • Heritage recognition: The school plans annually for Jewish American Heritage Month in May, integrating meaningful recognition of Jewish belonging and contributions to American life into curriculum and programming.
  • Brave spaces: The school fosters an environment that invites genuine dialogue while maintaining clear boundaries against hateful rhetoric.
  • Student empowerment: Students are equipped with the language and reporting processes to speak up when they witness antisemitic behavior.

Leverage AJC Resources and Support

Tagged

Photo of students on a college campus in the fall
Confronting Antisemitism on Campus: An Action Plan for University Administrators
School bus
Confronting Antisemitism In Our Schools: An Action Plan for Public K-12 School Administrators
Photo of students going to school
Confronting Antisemitism In Our Schools: An Action Plan for Independent School Administrators
Back to Top
More from

More General News

AJC - American Jewish Committee
AJC Statement on the Appointment of California's First Office of Civil Rights Director Read the Press Release
AJC - American Jewish Committee
AJC Statement on El-Sayed Nomination as Michigan Democratic Candidate for Senate Read the Press Release