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Israel-Gaza War, Antisemitism, US Jewry

Antisemitism Present in K-12 Curricula in US Public Schools 

A report by the Free Press details how state-approved, official curricula on minority groups and the Middle East is fuelling and enabling antisemitism.

Photo: Loborart/Shutterstock background
Photo: Loborart/Shutterstock
Photo: Loborart/Shutterstock

Antisemitism in America is not just a problem for elite universities or rowdy students - it is deeply embedded in official, approved curricula for the public K-12 school system in the United States, according to a report by the Free Press.

The most well-known example of antisemitic-tinged curricula is California state's "ethnic studies program." This program mandates lessons on minorities such as Black, Asian, and Native Americans - but not Jews, who end up naturally lumped with other whites as oppressors in the minds of those who learn the program.

Another curriculum, taught to over one million secondary high school students, is a program created by Brown University and funded by Qatar, which is full of stridently anti-Zionist and dehumanizing language towards Israel and its majority Jewish population as "settlers" and "occupiers."

Meanwhile, the New York City educational program known as the Culturally Responsive Education Framework appears to follow California's lead in analyzing society solely in terms of power, privilege, and oppression. While not explicitly mentioning Jews, the underlying presumption of the program that people are successful only through oppression and exploitation is a natural gateway drug to antisemitism.

None of those the Free Press spoke to and were quoted - teachers, parents, and others - were optimistic about administrations and elected officials doing much of anything to stop or stem this problem.

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