69传媒

Opinion
Student Well-Being Opinion

How Teachers Can Do Better by Jewish 69传媒 This Chanukah

3 common mistakes to avoid
By Miriam Plotinsky 鈥 December 08, 2023 4 min read
3d rendering Low key image of menorah Jewish holiday Hanukkah background with candle lights
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

This week marks the celebration of Chanukah. Though the holiday is a festive one, Chanukah commemorates a dark time in Jewish history around the year 200 B.C.E during the reign of Antiochus, who both systematically oppressed Jews by taking away their rights to practice any form of religion and killed them on a massive scale. The unlikely victory of the significantly outnumbered Jewish Maccabees over Antiochus鈥 army resulted in a happy outcome, but the history behind Chanukah includes a familiar narrative about the oppression of Jewish people that spans thousands of years.

The worry and prejudice described in this ancient story is unfortunately apropos in current times, especially for the many students who feel unable to reveal their Jewish identities in school out of the fear they will be targeted.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, by roughly 400 percent since the latest war between Israel and Hamas began Oct. 7鈥攁fter already having been on the rise for several years. Nowhere are these occurrences more disturbing than on college campuses. Just this week, in the increase of incendiary language that explicitly calls for the destruction of the Jewish people.

While these events are an alarming indicator of the more widespread acceptance of antisemitism and act as stark reminders of how Hitler gradually took power in Germany with the normalization of Jew hatred, there is another academic setting that also shows signs of this same disturbing trend: K-12. Teachers may express momentary shock and dismay at the continued increase in school-based incidents, but they do not know how to respond, which often comes across as apathy. Jewish students need to see that their teachers care about them. For that to happen, three pervasive mistakes that educators are making need to change.

1. Do not assume that school is a safe space for Jewish kids.

More than ever, Jewish students are laying low to avoid being bullied or attacked. The most common sign of antisemitic sentiment in the elementary and secondary realm takes the , whether or etched on cinder block walls. These incidents are also now increasingly accompanied by hate speech and confrontation. In universities, physical violence has also been intensifying, and it is only a matter of time before this behavior spreads to younger students. Whether Jewish children do not openly recognize Chanukah this week, or they hide their identities throughout the year (many boys are now afraid to wear their yarmulkes, for example), it is time for schools to start recognizing that Jewish students are not feeling psychologically or physically safe.

2. Remember that not all Jewish kids think the same way or have the same beliefs.

Jewish students tend to sit at the intersection of more than one cultural identity, not to mention racial identity. Jews come from all corners of the world. They are and are also both ethnically as well as religiously diverse. In the United States, many Jewish students (particularly those who are not religiously observant) identify largely with American culture as much or more than they connect to their identity as Jews, and they are therefore confused and scared to learn that so many people hate them, sight unseen.

In addition, the wide range of Jewish experience and belief is incredibly complex, which befits a group of people whose calendar goes back nearly 6,000 years. It is therefore ignorant to assume that just because one Jewish person has a certain opinion, all Jews agree. It is also not OK to ask any Jewish student to speak as a representative on behalf of their peers, which singles them out in a way that is truly tone deaf.

3. Do not remain silent when Jewish students are targeted.

69传媒 who have experienced antisemitism in school need to know that their teachers do not condone this behavior. Unfortunately, silence can imply agreement. As a result, during a time when so much hatred is directed their way, Jewish kids are left wondering whether peers and teachers may tacitly share these feelings.

Hate does not exist in a vacuum鈥攊t starts somewhere. Recent incidents of antisemitism on university campuses are terrifying, but we all need to understand that this hatred germinates in the earlier grades in large part because it either goes unchecked or because expressions of antisemitism have been normalized. When globally influential figures like about American Jews without serious consequences, the message Jewish kids receive is that nobody will protect them, much less stand up for them. It is therefore imperative that teachers make their Jewish students feel welcome and cherished.

Ultimately, it is the job of all educators to ensure that Jewish students do not feel as though they are alone in their desire to hold a place in this world without fear of erasure or persecution. As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently , 鈥淚 have noticed a significant disparity between how Jewish people regard the rise of antisemitism and how many of my non-Jewish friends regard it. To us, the Jewish people, the rise of antisemitism is a crisis, a five-alarm fire that must be extinguished. For so many other people of goodwill, it is merely a problem, a matter of concern.鈥

Jewish children make up a miniscule percentage of the U.S. population and an even smaller one worldwide, and their current reality is fear and instability. Teachers are influential and hold the power to change this world for the better, should they so choose. If there were ever a time to step up and live by the adage 鈥渘ever again,鈥 it is now.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Student Well-Being Opinion 3 Things You Need to Know About Absenteeism
We studied the data from more than 1.5 million students. Here鈥檚 are some overlooked insights to boost attendance.
Todd Rogers, Emily Bailard & Mikia Manley
4 min read
Scattered school desks seen from above, some with red x's on them signifying absences.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and iStock/Getty Images
Student Well-Being SEL Has Become Politicized. 69传媒 Are Embracing It Anyway
Eighty-three percent of principals report that their schools use an SEL curriculum or program.
5 min read
Image of positive movement when attending to a student's well-being is a component.
Dmitrii_Guzhanin/iStock/Getty and Laura Baker/Education Week
Student Well-Being 69传媒 Don't Want to Talk About Politics, Either
The election is occurring at a time when many schools are discouraged from having tough conversations in class.
6 min read
Viewers gather to watch a debate between Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Angry Elephant Bar and Grill, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in San Antonio.
Viewers gather to watch a debate between Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Angry Elephant Bar and Grill, Sept. 10, 2024, in San Antonio. Researchers say students are more reluctant to talk politics this election cycle.
Eric Gay/AP
Student Well-Being Opinion Can Athletic Coaches Help 69传媒 Learn More in the Classroom?
School sports can provide an opportunity for mentorship.
8 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty