Today, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a
hearing examining how antisemitism is spreading in K-12 schools.
In his opening statement,
Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) explained the ways in which antisemitism has infested elementary and middle schools. “At some schools in my home state of California, the antisemitic environment is so hostile that Jewish children are withdrawing and transferring elsewhere. Even the California Department of Education has found ethnic studies curricula to be antisemitic in multiple school districts,” he said.
Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) asked witnesses if antisemitism in colleges and universities is contributing to antisemitism in K-12 schools.
Dr. Brandy Shufutinsky, Director of Education and National Security at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, highlighted how states like California are requiring college students to take an ethnic studies class to graduate. “When we look at the curriculum [graduates of California teacher colleges] are creating it’s not just anti-Israel and anti-Jewish, it’s anti-American and it’s calling for students to commit to engaging in activism rather than scholarship,” she explained.
Ms. Rachel Lerman, Vice Chair and Director of Appeals and Critical Motions, The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, described to
Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) how the Brandeis Center uncovered antisemitism among Santa Ana school district officials. “We found members …agreeing that it would be a good idea to hold sessions on Passover so that the Jewish members wouldn’t attend. We saw one of the Jewish teachers… called ‘an F—ing baby’ and ‘a colonialized mind,” she stated.
Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN) asked
Ms. Nicole Neily, President and Founder of Defending Education, how unions have pushed antisemitism curricula into classrooms. “To use children as our foot soldiers and human shields in this battle of ideology is something that is so deeply unconscionable and to be pressed and promoted through teacher union networks—which we have obtained records of through FOIAs… this is a superhighway to share this hateful information with each other from coast to coast,” she concluded.
Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) discussed with witnesses how leadership at schools has failed Jewish students. Specifically, Rep. Fine asked why local school districts would choose to continue to work with institutions like the Council on American Islamic Relations that praise the terrorist acts on October 7th. Dr. Shufutinsky had a chilling response, “the leadership in that district must agree with it and October 7th must’ve made them happy as well.”
Bottom line: Committee Republicans are working to protect Jewish students in all stages of their education journey. Jewish children deserve administrators and teachers who will stand up for them in the classroom—not activists who create a divisive and hateful environment.
