Confronting Antisemitism in the United States: A Chinuch Challenge
Since October 7th, 2023, the United States has experienced a tsunami of antisemitism unsurpassed since the Holocaust.
It did not begin on October 8th. It was always there, simmering just below the surface of American society, in the universities, on social media, and in political discourse. October 7th was simply the moment the pressure cooker exploded.
Within 24 hours of Hamas’s brutal massacre of 1,200 innocent Israeli women, children and men at the Nova Music Festival and in the kibbutzim of the Gaza envelope, we witnessed anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations erupt on college campuses and in major American cities. The victims had not yet been buried. The hostages had not yet been named. And already, the narrative had flipped that Israel, not Hamas, was to blame.
How is this possible in America? And, what is our responsibility as Jewish educators?
Naming the new reality of Antisemitism in America today is not the antisemitism of Charlottesville alone but rather a three-headed hydra.
They include:
1. The Progressive Left: Framing Jews as privileged white oppressors, Zionism as colonialism, and Israel as an apartheid state.
2. The Radical Right: The classic conspiratorial antisemitism where Jews control media, finance, and government.
3. Radical Islamism: Imported Jew-hatred that denies Israel’s right to exist entirely.
Our students encounter all three, often on TikTok before they encounter it in a textbook.
A recent ADL report shows a 400% increase in antisemitic incidents on campuses since October 7th. Our children are reluctant to wear kippot, a magen david or a mezuzah necklace. And, our parents are asking if they should hide their Jewish identity.
This is not 1960s America. This is a new American reality.
Chinuch is the Front Line
We cannot outsource the fight against antisemitism to the ADL, AJC, or Federations alone. The front line is our day schools and yeshivot.
If we do not teach our children why we are Jews, why we love Medinat Yisrael, and how to respond to hate with strength and knowledge, who will?
Chanoch L’naar al pi darko — Train the youth according to his way. Today, his way includes navigating antisemitism with resilience and pride.
The following is five-part strategy for our schools:
- Strengthen Jewish Identity and Literacy: A child who knows the story of Am Yisrael , from Avraham Avinu to the rebirth of the State of Israel cannot be easily intimidated. We must double down on Jewish history, Zionism, and the centrality of Eretz Yisrael , not as an elective, but as core curriculum.
- Teach Advocacy, Not Just Victimhood: Our students must learn how to advocate for Israel and the Jewish people through civil discourse, media literacy, and how to respond to BDS and anti-Zionist rhetoric factually and calmly. The Israel on Campus Coalition offers excellent models.
Partnering with Parents: Schools cannot do this alone. We must educate parents how to talk to their children about antisemitism on the soccer field, in the classroom, and online. A monthly “Parent Voice on Antisemitism” is no longer optional.
Building Allies: We must reach out to other faith and ethnic communities who have stood with us. Achdut does not only mean unity within the Jewish community; it means building coalitions outside it.
Modeling Emunah, Bitachon, and Resilience: Our response cannot be fear alone. It must be Jewish pride. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l taught, “Antisemitism is not about Jews; it is about the inability of antisemites to live with Jews.” Our answer is to live more Jewishly, more proudly, and more visibly.
Finally, if Chinuch is our front-line in confronting and combating antisemitism, then it is essential that we are prepared to take on this daunting change.
This includes the creation of comprehensive teacher and leadership training, programs the use of AI-generated curricula and continued visibility and vigilance.
Conclusion:
As we know, antisemitism and Jew-hatred in the United States, not unlike countries throughout the globe, will never disappear, no matter how reactive, proactive or responsive we are to this growing crisis.
At best, it is imperative that our communities, its schools and educators prepare themselves with proper training and knowledge.
There are many in our community who firmly believe that Aliyah to Israel is the best response or answer to antisemitism and Jew-hatred in the States. And, there are those who believe that our role is to remain in the States and confront this raging fire directly.
Whether Aliya to Israel is a viable option for American Jews is a very difficult and complex conversation which requires far more attention than this blog allows.
In my travels, parents, associates and visitors often ask me the same question: “is it safe to be a Jew in America?”
My answer is that we are living during a period of great anxiety, but it is also a time of great opportunity.
Friends, this is our defining moment. The ebb and flow of Jewish history has taught us that after every period of darkness comes light if we act with courage, clarity, and chinuch.
Our responsibility and task is not simply to confront antisemitism. Our task is to ensure that our children and our grandchildren remain proud, knowledgeable, and unapologetic Jews in America and true lovers of Eretz Yisrael.
That is not just a communal challenge, but rather a chinuch imperative.
