According to published reports, New Jersey recorded the third-highest level of antisemitism in the nation in 2022, the most recent year of data. This was a 25% increase over the previous year, which at that time had been the highest ever recorded.
New Jersey isn’t alone:
- A Brooklyn teacher told CBS News New York that students called her a dirty Jew and drew swastikas on her desk and bulletin boards. She notes Jewish students have left the school as a result of antisemitic incidents.
- A parent of a student in Westport, Connecticut wrote in Newsweek that his son was subjected to ongoing antisemitic harassment from other students, shouting at him phrases such as, “We must exterminate the Jews!” and pointing a squirt gun at him while yelling, “Shoot the Jew!”
- There has been a marked increase in desecration of Jewish ritual items such as mezuzot and menorahs, in antisemitic messages blaming Jews for 9/11 and either cheering or denying the Holocaust and in threats of violence and murder against Jews at colleges and universities—including posting the names, faces and faculty positions of Jewish professors.
This rise in hatred is a state and national problem. Education plays a key role in reducing hatred and building safe, inclusive environments for all students. Schools must help students deal with the fear resulting from highly publicized news stories involving antisemitism, such as the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The story was again recently in the news following the sentencing of the perpetrator.
Knowing how best to deal with antisemitic incidents is only part of the solution. The best time to address antisemitic acts against students and staff is before they happen. Learning more about how to recognize and address evidence of antisemitism can prevent such incidents from occurring. That is critical because even the best-addressed incident of antisemitism leaves a lasting mark on the students and staff who experience it.
Below are several resources to help NJEA members counter antisemitism in their schools and communities.
Resources to combat antisemitism
NJEA Review
“Connecting educators with Holocaust education resources”
njea.org/connecting-educators-with-holocaust-education-resources
National Education Association
Resources to Counter Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial
nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/resources-counter-antisemitism-and-holocaust-denial
“Taking on Antisemitism on CollegeCampuses”
nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/taking-antisemitism-college-campuses
New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education
Curriculum guides and materials for the Holocaust, genocide and human rights
nj.gov/education/holocaust/curr/materials
U.S. Department of Education
Resources for Preventing and Addressing Antisemitism in Schools
sites.ed.gov/cfbnp/resources-for-preventing-and-addressing-antisemitism-
in-schools