Posted on 05/09/24
| News Source: WBAL
Reports of antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents in K-12 schools across the United States have surged by 700 percent since the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, according to data from the Israeli American Council’s (IAC) School Watch program.
The program, which aims to ensure a safe educational environment free from hate, has documented a significant rise in complaints of student bullying, harassment, and teacher bias in the first three months following the October 7 massacre.
In the period from October to January of the 2023-2024 school year, the IAC School Watch program received at least 324 reports of antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents, averaging 27 cases per week. This marks a stark increase from the same period in the previous school year, during which only 41 incidents were reported.
Karen Bar-Or, Vice President of Civic Engagement and Fighting Antisemitism at the IAC, expressed concern over the alarming trend, stating, “The current wave of antisemitism we are witnessing across schools in the U.S. is appalling. This should come as no surprise, following years of neglecting to address the issue of Jew-hatred properly.”
Of the reported incidents since October 7, more than 65 percent involved student bullying and vandalism, while the remaining 35 percent comprised anti-Israel classroom materials, statements, or discrimination by school administrators or teachers. Most incidents occurred in high schools, with fewer cases reported in middle and elementary schools.
Examples of reported incidents include a student in Las Vegas giving a Jewish teacher a Hitler salute, and students in a Fairlawn, NJ, middle school taunting Jewish and Israeli-American peers with inflammatory remarks such as “Israel made up the October 7 attack” and expressing support for the massacre and beheading of Israeli children.
Elan Carr, CEO of the IAC and former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, condemned the surge in antisemitic incidents, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the safety and well-being of Jewish and Israeli-American students.
“Our mission through IAC School Watch is to ensure that Jewish and Israeli-American students in grades K-12 never have to face bias and hatred because of their identity,” Carr stated. “
We are ever-more determined to make sure our schools are safe places for all students.”