Educator Advocacy: Supporting Students Facing Antisemitic Incidents

When you become aware of an antisemitic incident involving your students, you must act in accordance with Title VI, state law, and school/district policies. You should also keep in mind the following:

Prioritize Student Safety and Support

When responding to antisemitic incidents, the immediate physical and emotional safety of affected students must be your top priority. Listen to the student's account without judgment, creating a supportive environment where they feel heard and validated. Document the incident in accordance with district and school policies. Report the incident through your school's established protocols to ensure appropriate administrative (and potentially legal) responses are initiated promptly. Under Title VI, schools must take prompt and effective steps to end harassment, prevent its recurrence, and remedy its effects.

Understand the Impact

Even when students claim something was "just a joke," antisemitic comments can cause real harm to Jewish students and contribute to normalizing antisemitism within your school community. Consider and acknowledge the cumulative effect that multiple incidents, even seemingly minor ones, can have on Jewish students' personal identity, sense of belonging and physical and emotional safety in your school environment.

Take Educational Action

Where appropriate, transform these challenging moments into learning opportunities by utilizing ADL's comprehensive educational resources. Consider these relevant lessons:

• "Antisemitic Incidents: Being an Ally, Advocate and Activist" helps students to understand different ways to respond to bias and become active allies
• "Swastikas and Other Hate Symbols" helps students to understand the significance and impact of hate symbols, particularly given the increase in antisemitic incidents involving swastikas on school campuses.
• "Mini-Lesson: Antisemitism" will help you build your own skills in recognizing and addressing antisemitism, through this 20-minute interactive lesson examining Jewish identity and unpacking major antisemitic tropes.

Creating Teachable Moments

Transform incidents into meaningful learning opportunities by addressing the broader school community. Use ADL's educational resources to help students understand antisemitism and its impact on individuals and communities. Facilitate discussions about allyship and upstander behavior, empowering students to recognize when they can intervene safely and effectively. Connect specific incidents to broader lessons about bias, discrimination and human dignity, helping students understand how hate affects all members of a community.

Supporting Affected Students

Work closely with school administrators to ensure proper follow-up and ongoing support for affected students and connect Jewish students with appropriate counseling resources and emotional support services available through your school or community. Consider implementing ADL's "6 Tips for Supporting Jewish Students in the Classroom" to create a more supportive environment, particularly when topics like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are in the news. Help students develop self-advocacy skills while ensuring they have consistent adult support and know that their concerns will be taken seriously and addressed appropriately.