Antisemitism in American High Schools

An explosion of antisemitism on college campuses has been clear for all to see since October 7, 2023, when the terror group Hamas murdered over 1,200 Israeli citizens in cold blood. Encampments and protests glorifying Hamas and its atrocities were widely publicized, shocking both Jews and non-Jews. But not so widely discussed is the marked increase in antisemitism in American high schools. The ADL reported a 135% increase in antisemitic incidents in both public and private K-12 schools from 2022 to 2023.

George Dalbo, a high school social studies teacher in Wisconsin, recounted engaging with students after swastikas were drawn on school property. He says that “many students suggested that the swastikas are being drawn by kids who, in their words, ‘are trying to be funny’ or ‘don’t understand what swastikas mean.'” While many of his students wanted to “minimize or dismiss this hate speech as juvenile pranks or misunderstandings,” one senior actually accused Jewish students of drawing the swastikas. Dalbo says:

This statement, suggesting Jewish students were drawing swastikas, was not simply an innocent misunderstanding; rather, it was part of a deeper, pervasive set of antisemitic myths that Jews are responsible for the hate directed their way.

This is part and parcel of the ethos that has been on display from the myriad anti-Israel protests across the country. Protestors blame Israel’s occupation and so-called “apartheid” for the atrocities the nation suffered on October 7, suggesting Israelis not only brought it on themselves but deserved it for “oppressing” the Palestinians.

But antisemitism in high schools didn’t start only after October 7 — it was a pervasive issue long before. Adam Milstein, a Los Angeles-based venture philanthropist and American of Israeli descent, reported on an incident that occurred in a Tempe, Arizona middle school in the 2018-2019 school year. A federal investigation found that the school had violated the student’s civil rights “when she was forced to endure repeated antisemitic harassment in class. Nine students harassed and called her antisemitic names, in addition to making frequent jokes about the Holocaust.”

This is just one incident, and Milstein is careful to point out that “[m]ost antisemitic attacks on Jewish students go unreported.” Milstein is well-versed in the ways in which antisemitism manifests in our society. He is the co-founder of the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, which was founded with a mission to support a network of nonprofits that strengthen American values, support the U.S.-Israel alliance and combat hatred and bigotry in all forms. The Milstein Family Foundation works with organizations like StandWithUs, which works with teens on their high school campuses and empowers them to educate their peers about Israel and combat antisemitism.

Milstein writes that teenagers are “particularly impressionable, deeply affected by social dynamics of their peers.” Social media is a huge source of information and entertainment for high school students, and all the major platforms have become rife with antisemitic content, so it’s no wonder antisemitic narratives become prevalent among high schoolers. Students are also influenced by “the authority of their teachers and their school administrators,” many of whom turn a blind eye to antisemitism or worse, exacerbate it.

George Dalbo writes that many of his colleagues “sought to minimize the antisemitic graffiti” found in his Wisconsin school. Despite school policies against such hate speech, “administrators routinely dismissed the idea of punishing the culprits of the swastika drawings if they were ever identified.” In his article, Milstein reports that “[p]arents of students, even in prestigious private schools, are often hesitant and afraid to speak out against school authorities.” He cites an incident in which a Jewish parent questioned his daughter’s elite Brentwood school in Los Angeles for “holding racially segregated meetings and encouraging students to treat Jews as ‘oppressors.'” Rather than deal with the situation, the administration expelled his daughter “by preventing her from returning the following school year.”

So what is the solution? Administrators in Dalbo’s school discussed increasing Holocaust education. But despite the robust Holocaust education in the curriculum, “swastikas kept appearing in the bathrooms at [his] school.” Dalbo’s suggestion is that “[s]tudents need to learn about antisemitism [that occurs] today, as either part of or in addition to their Holocaust education.” He discusses a study done on the Gringlas Unit on Contemporary Antisemitism, a teaching resource developed by a partnership of the ADL, USC Shoah Foundation, and Yad Vashem, that helps teacher educate students about post-Holocaust antisemitism. Dalbo reports that the study found that “learning about contemporary antisemitism increases students’ knowledge of the Holocaust, raises awareness about the ways antisemitism shows up today, fosters empathy towards victims of hateful attacks, and inspires students to combat antisemitism when they see it.”

Milstein’s approach aims to target the dangerous narratives at the heart of contemporary antisemitism. He wants to actively address the “danger of DEI and CRT” in high schools, “which are often packaged as Ethnic Studies” — a controversial curriculum that promulgates progressive frameworks that separate peoples into oppressed and oppressors. A push for mandatory ethnic studies in California was met with criticism for its antisemitic bent. While Palestine and Arab American studies were seen as integral to ethnic studies, Jewish American Studies was seen as “racist.” StandWithUs reports that this, by design, “covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other issues in a way that actively silences Jewish perspectives.”

Milstein also advocates for empowering both students and parents to document and report antisemitic incidents and to have “attorneys ready to take action if necessary to uphold [students’ civil] rights.” He believes teachers and administrators must also be educated and held accountable, both for incidents that occur in their schools as well as how they react to it. Combating antisemitism in high schools is vital to Jewish children’s and teen’s wellbeing and quality of education. That’s why Milstein believes it is “far past time that we make safeguarding our youth a much higher priority.” Milstein’s extensive advocacy work demonstrates his commitment to protecting future generations from the harms of antisemitism.