Confronting Antisemitism In Our Schools: A Toolkit for Parents of Jewish K-12 Students

Introduce yourself to, and foster open lines of communication with, administrators at your child’s school, as well as your child’s teachers. Make sure administrators know how challenging this moment is for many American Jews, with antisemitism increasing at a frightening pace. Let them know how important it is to prioritize Jewish students’ emotional well-being and physical safety, just as they would for all other students. Offer to be a resource and to connect them with education experts from AJC to help them take steps to raise awareness and create an environment that welcomes all students and is free from discrimination.

Offer AJC Resources and Educational Workshops

Ask the school to provide educational programming about antisemitism for your school community. While antisemitism shares some features of other forms of hate, it is also unique. Understanding antisemitism, both historically and today, is a critical first step for effectively addressing this issue in school communities. AJC education experts offer presentations for administrators, faculty, students and/or parents. We are happy to meet with administrators who oversee school culture to discuss tailoring a program that meets the needs of your specific school.

Inquire About Curriculum

Including Jewish history and literature in school curricula humanizes Jews, offers students an understanding of how Jews and Jewish thought have influenced human civilization, and allows students of all backgrounds to see the diversity, resilience, connectivity, and creativity of the Jewish people, both over time and today. Ask your school where study of the Jewish experience currently exists in the curriculum. AJC’s Guidance for K-12 Schools to Ensure the Jewish Experience is Included Across the Curriculum provides key questions and enduring understandings about the Jewish people, and is an invaluable resource for educators as they consider and embark upon a curriculum audit process. 

The following are key points for your conversation with school administrators about curriculum:

• Studying the history of the Jewish people, including – but not exclusively – the Holocaust and antisemitism, is critical to ensuring an informed citizenry. 
  • Antisemitism did not originate with the Nazis, nor did it end after World War II. Quality Holocaust education should include antisemitism’s historical roots and its evolution over time so that students understand how to recognize contemporary manifestations of the world’s oldest hate. 
  • Best practices in Holocaust education include teaching about the centuries-old, robust, and creative European Jewish civilization that was destroyed.
• Social Studies classes should include lessons that explore the experiences, contributions, and challenges faced by the Jewish people throughout history and today. 
• English Language Arts (ELA) classes should include literature by Jews about the Jewish experience, including the American Jewish experience. School libraries, whether in elementary, middle, or high schools, should include age-appropriate books that highlight Jewish experiences, people, and holidays. 
  • Organizations like the Jewish Book Council provide in-depth information about Jewish literature for all ages.
• Educators must understand the Jewish connection to Israel, both historically and today. Education about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be rooted in facts and primary sources, and should include diverse narratives and experiences. AJC can recommend respected and responsible curricular providers, such as ConnectED and the Institute for Curriculum Services (ICS), to work with your child’s school on educationally sound materials for teaching about the conflict.

School Belonging

Inquire how education about Jewish identity and antisemitism are included in your school’s educational and professional learning philosophy. Encourage the school to recognize Jewish students and families as a unique group within the school community. AJC can help you advocate for the inclusion of Jews and Jewish identity in your school’s culture. 

The following will help you open conversations with the school about Jewish belonging:

• Share AJC’s Guide to Jewish Religion and Culture, which includes a 5-year planning calendar, to help educators avoid scheduling conflicts with Jewish holidays, be aware of potential accommodations students may need, and learn about key Jewish cultural practices.
• If the school hosts a “cultural night” event/festival, be sure to share AJC’s Guidance on “Cultural Night” Programs with administrators so they can plan and execute it in a way that’s inclusive and respectful of everyone in your school community, including Jewish students and families.

Identifying Antisemitism

Encourage administrators to consider adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism as an educational tool to help the school community understand contemporary antisemitism and to help guide policies. IHRA provides a clear and widely accepted framework for identifying antisemitism, including contemporary examples of antizionist forms of antisemitism. The IHRA definition makes clear that criticism of Israeli policy is not antisemitic.

Social Media

Confirm that the school has clear social media policies that address the boundaries of acceptable behavior online for the entire school community—students, faculty, administration, and parents. Advocate that the school hold age-appropriate conversations about the healthy use of social media, including how to recognize misinformation and disinformation online. Together with your child/ren, look through our resource, Helping Jewish Teens Engage Responsibly with Social Media. 

Incident Reporting

Confirm that the school has a clear mechanism for reporting antisemitic incidents and a transparent process to follow for those who believe they have experienced or witnessed an antisemitic incident. This could include an online portal or a designated administrator. Schools should make clear to the community through their policies and procedures how such incidents will be investigated and addressed. If the school does not have clear reporting structures, or an incident requires further reporting to government, law enforcement, and/or social media companies, recommend to administrators that they consult AJC’s resource - Reporting Antisemitism to Federal Agencies, Law Enforcement, and Social Media Platforms. We also encourage you to review AJC’s Toolkit for Jewish K-12 Students along with your child.

• If your child has experienced or witnessed an antisemitic incident, reporting is crucial. 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.

Transparent Response and Communication

If an antisemitic incident occurs at school—or a significant event affects the school’s Jewish community—review and share with your school leaders AJC’s K-12 Administrators: A Guide to Responding to Discrimination. As appropriate based on the situation and confirmed facts, parents should advocate for the administration to issue an unequivocal statement of support for Jewish students, condemn the antisemitic incident, and articulate the school’s next steps to stop the discrimination, address harm, and prevent recurrence. Note that many schools have adopted a policy of institutional neutrality, meaning they will not issue statements about global or other events that don’t directly affect the school community. 

Walkouts / Protests

If an anti-Israel protest or walkout is planned or takes place at your child’s school, it is important that you speak with administrators immediately about what such events can mean for Jewish students. See AJC’s Guidance for Handling Student Protests and Walkouts.

Communication is Key

Give your child space to ask questions and express their feelings. Help them feel heard and validated, and understand that they may see situations in school differently than you do. Carefully balance keeping a watchful eye on the thriving of your child in school and allowing your child to build resilience and self-advocacy skills. 

School leaders and educators should be receptive to hearing the concerns and solutions presented by students. You can guide your child in communicating appropriately and effectively with administrators and teachers. While certain circumstances warrant (or even necessitate) parent advocacy over that of students, nurturing young people’s leadership and advocacy skills in age—and situation—appropriate ways builds capability and self-confidence in ways that will continue to pay dividends.

• Student advocacy could be as simple—and impactful—as your child giving their teacher and principal a copy of AJC’s 5-Year Calendar at the beginning of the school year and sharing which dates they will be absent to observe Jewish holidays.

Mental Health

If your child is dealing with anxiety or fears about antisemitism, and/or has been the target of antisemitism, reach out to mental health professionals who can help give your child the support they need. Start with your child’s school, which should be able to offer support through advisors or staff mental health professionals, as well as through school policies and procedures. You can also seek counseling and other supportive resources through private mental health professionals or by contacting a local Jewish organization. 

Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT)

Parents often ask how they can help their teens build confidence in navigating today's challenges. Leaders for Tomorrow was designed specifically to do that. LFT is AJC’s premier education, advocacy, and leadership development program that empowers Jewish high school students to build confident Jewish identities, effectively combat 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. Applications are open every summer and close in early fall. Encourage your teen to apply! For more information, reach out to [email protected].

Jewish Parent Affinity Groups

Building connections with other Jewish parents in your school community creates valuable opportunities for mutual support and advocacy. A Jewish parent affinity group can help foster a sense of belonging for your family while working collectively to promote policies that enhance Jewish safety and inclusion. These groups also serve as bridges to other parent communities in the school, facilitating meaningful dialogue and strengthening the broader school environment for all families. If your child’s school already has a Jewish parent affinity group, consider getting involved. If not, explore the possibility of starting one with school leadership. When collaborating as a Jewish parent group, maintain a respectful and constructive tone in all communications with school administration. Focus on offering specific, actionable recommendations that will improve both safety and the overall learning climate for Jewish students and the wider school community.

To Share with Schools

Finding ways to partner with school leadership allows parents to positively impact efforts to ensure the school community is resilient against antisemitism. Many of the resources below are available for download from AJC’s website and can be printed and personally handed to administrators and teachers. This in-person “touchpoint,” with appropriate follow up, builds trust and is an effective way to advocate for your Jewish students. 

AJC Guidance

• Confronting Antisemitism: An Action Plan for Independent School Administrators
• Confronting Antisemitism: An Action Plan for Public School Administrators
• K-12 Administrators: A Guide to Responding to Discrimination Incidents
• Guidance for K-12 Schools on Evaluating Educational Programs About Antisemitism
• The ABCs of Jewish Inclusion: A Quick Guide for K-12 Administrators
• Guidance for K-12 Schools on Conducting a Curriculum Audit
• Guidance for K-12 Schools on “Cultural Night” Programs
• Guidance for K-12 Schools on Selecting Guest Speakers
• Guidance for K-12 Schools on the Anniversary of October 7
• Guidance for K-12 Schools on Protests and Walkouts
• Guidance for K-12 Schools on Teaching About Elections
• Guidance for K-12 Schools on Inclusive December Activities

AJC Resources

• A Guide to Jewish Religion, Culture, Holiday Observances, and 5-Year Calendar
• Click this link to download the PDF: Confronting Antisemitism in Our Schools: A Toolkit for Parents of Jewish K-12 Students