Launching its fourth cohort, AJC New York Empowered Parents was inspired by New York parents and caregivers concerned about a troubling lack of understanding of Jewish identity, instances of antisemitism, and unbalanced conversation about Israel emerging in their children's schools.
This program for parents of K-12 students is more necessary than ever as we are amidst the skyrocketing rise of antisemitism and exclusion of Jewish voices from educational spaces. Empowered Parents builds upon AJC’s enormously successful work with parents and school administrators over the past few years to make real change in school spaces.
Facilitated by Ira Glasser, AJC Director of K-12 Education, NY, Empowered Parents addresses hard topics and challenging, yet crucial, conversations parents may come across in their schools over three educational sessions. Ira Glasser is a seasoned educator and public speaker with over 15 years of teaching, curricular, and education administration experience,
Among the topics to be covered:
- How to successfully advocate with school administration when antisemitic incidents occur in school.
- What is the best way to address a situation of a faculty member who shows a strong anti-Israel bias in the classroom?
- Where can you create community and allyship within your school’s ecosystem?
Sessions
Space for this program is limited.
Dinner will be served at all sessions (dietary restrictions observed).
Session 1 – Jewish Exclusion: Antisemitism and the Erasure of Jewish Identity
Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
In today’s educational landscape, schools often grapple with the complexities of addressing social issues. When identities and experiences are reduced to oversimplified binaries, however, harmful stereotypes and misconceptions are easily perpetuated. This session will explore the exclusion of Jewish identity and antisemitism in conversations surrounding race, equity, and inclusion. We will discuss the dangers of overlooking Jewish experiences and how this erasure fuels antisemitism. Participants will gain insight into how schools can approach these issues in more nuanced, inclusive ways, fostering a deeper understanding of Jewish history and identity.
Session 2 – Addressing False Narratives About Israel
Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Conversations about Israel in educational spaces today are fraught at best. With a prevailing - and false - narrative in many progressive spaces of Israel as a “white settler-colonial” enterprise and even as an apartheid state, it can be difficult to have balanced and nuanced conversations that are rooted in historical fact and take into account the different narratives that different communities bring to the table. This session will give you the foundation of knowledge about Israel itself, as well as about strong and nuanced Israel education that you need to be a serious interlocutor about these issues for your children’s school.
Session 3 – Practical Strategies for Talking to Your School’s Faculty and Administrators
Wednesday, April 23, 2025, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
How do you address challenging situations at your child’s school when they arise? Being a good Jewish advocate in your child’s school is complicated. On the one hand, no one wants to be “that parent,” but on the other hand staying silent means that problematic issues continue to fester. Making matters more difficult, many parents do not feel knowledgeable enough to speak intelligently about issues that trouble them in school. This session will focus on both the knowledge and strategy you need to begin conversations in your school community by examining real-life scenarios.
Click Here to Apply
If you have questions about Empowered Parents, please email Ira Glasser at [email protected].
*All participants of Empowered Parents are requested to make a $725 donation to AJC to help sponsor our important advocacy work in New York City and around the globe, as well as to cover the costs of the program. This donation is 100% tax deductible. The Spring Session of Empowered Parents is partially underwritten; reducing the program contribution to $725 per participant.
This program is sponsored in part by:
