Articles by Aaron Bregman

Working together — administrators, teachers, parents and community partners — we can ensure that schools are places where students encounter complicated history, debate ideas and engage in productive struggle. Finding common ground can require compromise but should never compromise a student’s identity or their right to belong.

In classrooms across the country, conversations feel more charged and the air is tense. Global conflicts and domestic affairs are impacting even benign topics. As those conversations have become more politically charged, some teachers have begun to question whether it is even possible to teach seminal works like Elie Wiesel’s Holocaust memoir “Night” without the discussion veering into present-day politics.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, we have seen disturbing headlines, videos, and even arrests made on college campuses across the country due to an alarming surge in antisemitism. As we justifiably focus on how to ensure the safety of Jewish university students, we cannot forget the need to combat antisemitism in K-12 schools as well. 

Aaron Bregman, AJC's Director of High School Affairs, reflects on what his former students are going through after these two weeks.

The future is bright for young American Jews. Granted, my crystal ball isn’t totally accurate and I’m not into tarot cards. But I feel good about my prediction after spending a few days with a special group of high school students.