After Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel two years ago, high school teacher Josh Hirsch posted comments on social media in support of Israel. It was unrealistic for Hamas to expect a ceasefire, he wrote, as long as it was holding hostages.
Shortly afterwards, a former student called for his dismissal. A note taped to the door of his classroom in Adams County, Colorado, included his wife’s name and her home address. And a sticker taped to his chair read: “Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.”
The reaction shocked Hirsch, the only Jewish teacher in his school building. For the first time in his 14-year career, he considered quitting. He stayed and joined an educator advocacy network created by the Anti-Defamation League to make schools more inclusive of diverse viewpoints.
“I was a teacher and I tried to focus on being the best teacher I could,” he said.
Tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas have spread to schools across the United States. Advocates report a rise in anti-Semitic harassment since the surprise attack on Israel in 2023. While some argue that school leaders did not take the threat seriously, others warn that criticism of Israel and the military operation in Gaza is too often interpreted as hate speech.
The Trump administration has not penalized school systems as much as colleges accused of tolerating anti-Semitism, but schools are still under pressure to respond more aggressively. Several states have pushed for novel vigilance, including laws that critics say would stifle free speech.
Both conservative and liberal states apply greater control
Lawmakers in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee have passed measures to augment school accountability for anti-Semitism complaints, and a law signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, will provide training on recognizing and preventing anti-Semitism in schools. In Arizona, the Democratic governor vetoed a bill to deal with reports of anti-Semitism in schools, calling it an attack on educators.
Many of the measures, including one signed by Oklahoma’s Republican governor, call for the adoption of a definition of anti-Semitism that classifies certain criticism of Israel as hate speech.
“These bills make it clear that Oklahoma stands with our Jewish communities and will not tolerate hate disguised as political discourse,” said Kristen Thompson, a Republican senator in Oklahoma who authored the bill.
Dozens of states have adopted the definition promoted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which is also recognized by the U.S. State Department. It lists eleven examples of anti-Semitic behavior, such as the utilize of “double standards” against Israel or the comparison of the country’s policies with those of National Socialism.
While supporters of this definition of anti-Semitism say it is necessary to combat evolving forms of Jewish hatred, civil rights groups warn that it suppresses pro-Palestinian speech.
The Trump administration’s approach stands in contrast to attacks on universities
The Trump administration has used anti-Semitism investigations in its efforts to transform higher education, suspending billions of dollars in federal funding to Harvard, Columbia and other universities amid accusations that they tolerated hate speech, particularly during protests against the war between Israel and Hamas.
The White House has not been as involved at the K-12 level. At congressional hearings, House Republicans have taken some gigantic school systems to task over their handling of anti-Semitism, but the administration has largely left it to the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to address complaints.
In one of the cases investigated, a complaint described students at the Berkeley Unified School District in California asking Jewish classmates for “their number,” citing numbers tattooed on Jews during the Holocaust. It also said teachers made anti-Semitic comments and led strikes praising Hamas.
The district did not respond to a request for comment.
In another case in California, the family of a 14-year-old girl filed a federal lawsuit last year alleging that she must leave University Preparatory Academy, a charter school in San Jose, in 2023 because of anti-Semitic bullying. After the Hamas attack, students called her names including “terrorist.” The California Department of Education and the school said they could not comment on pending litigation.
Nationwide, the ADL recorded 860 anti-Semitic incidents in non-Jewish schools last year, ranging from name-calling and swastikas in lockers to anti-Semitic materials being taught in classrooms. According to the ADL, the number has fallen from over 1,100 in 2023, but is significantly higher than previous years’ numbers.
A Massachusetts teachers union is fighting back
A Massachusetts state commission formed last year to combat anti-Semitism found it to be a “pervasive and escalating problem” in schools.
At a meeting, a commission co-chair, Democratic state Rep. Simon Cataldo, said the Massachusetts Teachers Association had shared anti-Semitic resources with teachers, including a kindergarten workbook that described Zionists as “thugs” and an image of a Star of David made out of dollar bills. The union said these had been cherry-picked from hundreds of images in artwork and posters about Palestinians and that links to these materials had been removed.
The union said it had made efforts to counter the rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and accused the commission of “offensive political theatre”.
“Those who manipulate anti-Semitism to achieve political goals – such as undermining unions and public education – are following the example of the Trump administration,” the union said in a statement.
Margaret Litvin, an associate professor of Arabic and comparative literature at Boston University, said the commission “intentionally mixed criticism of Israel with prejudice against Jews and bias against Jews.” That approach is used to justify “heavy-handed” state interference in school district affairs, said Litvin, co-founder of the Boston-area group Concerned Jewish Faculty and Staff.
Controversy reaches the largest teachers union
The tension also reached the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, which this summer considered a proposal to eliminate ADL teaching materials that educators utilize to teach about the Holocaust and bias. Supporters said the ADL had an outsized influence on school curricula and policies and had a pro-Israel perspective.
Delegates to the union representative meeting narrowly voted to approve the proposal, but were overruled by the NEA board. Union President Becky Pringle said the proposal “would not advance the NEA’s commitment to academic freedom, our membership or our goals.”
The ADL then invited K-12 educators to join a novel network called BEACON: Building Educator Allies for Change, Openness, and Networks. The network is designed to lend a hand educators learn from each other about how to address and combat anti-Semitism and other forms of hate.
Hirsch, the teacher in Colorado, was among the hundreds who expressed interest.
Some of the backlash he suffered stemmed from his online commentary about local activist organizations. After donating money to Black Lives Matter groups and supporting them with a sign in his yard, he expressed feelings of betrayal when he saw the groups expressing support for the Palestinians rather than Israel.
He said he was surprised by the response to the posts in his predominantly Hispanic school community. As a former debate coach, his work with the ADL Network aims to lend a hand students share their opinions in a constructive way.
“If we give them the opportunity to hate and give them the opportunity to make enemies of someone, that’s really counterproductive to what we’re trying to achieve as a society,” he said.
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