On September 8, Brandeis Center President Alyza D. Lewin testified before the Religious Liberty Commission at its hearing on Religious Liberty in Public Education. Ms. Lewin was the only witness testifying about anti-Semitism at this hearing and described the pervasive nature of anti-Semitism in K-12 public schools, explaining that the Brandeis Center hears “almost every day from students and parents who have been targeted on the basis of their actual or perceived Jewish identity.” She underscored the importance of combatting this extensive anti-Semitism before students reach college campuses. Ms. Lewin showcased three stories of grade school students who were subjected to anti-Semitism. She illustrated the stories of Jewish students in Massachusetts, who were exposed to anti-Semitic slurs and messages, by students who divided themselves into “Team Auschwitz” and “Team Hamas,” and gave Nazi salutes in the hallways. She also highlighted the story of a non-Jewish middle school student in North Carolina who was perceived to be Jewish by virtue of wearing an Israeli baseball jersey. This student, as Ms. Lewin explained, was called a “dirty Jew” and was told to “go to your oven, Jew.” Finally, Ms. Lewin discussed the story of a six-year-old student in California who, after hearing other children state that that “Jews were stupid,” went home and “told his parents that he wished he was not Jewish because people don’t like Jews.” These stories underscore the need for federal assistance to combat anti-Semitism present in grade school education. Ms. Lewin provided action items for schools and the Commission to help combat this rampant anti-Semitism. First, schools must “develop a zero tolerance for erasive anti-Semitism” which denies Jewish peoplehood and Jewish history. Second, she continued, rather than ostracizing Jewish students under the guise of protecting them, schools need to hold bullies accountable. Finally, she recommended that schools “institute effective training to educate the school community to recognize contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism,” particularly in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks. She explained that the rise in contemporary anti-Semitism is taking place alongside a “deliberate, systematic effort to erase and deny the Jewish people’s religious, cultural, ethnic and ancestral history in the Land of Israel.” She labeled this type of anti-Semitism as erasive anti-Semitism and cautioned that it is being used to indoctrinate students by providing a false narrative that mischaracterizes Jews as colonizers and oppressors. In an attempt to address anti-Semitism, schools often remove Jewish students from hostile environments; for example, moving Jewish students out of classes with bullies, or by offering private tutoring. However, Ms. Lewin noted, this practice ostracizes Jewish students while “failing to address the underlying Jew hatred.” When asked by Commission members what the motivation is for targeting Jews specifically, Ms. Lewin explained that throughout history, Jews are the “ones who’ve been courageous enough to maintain difference” and that this difference makes it easier for others to scapegoat the Jews. She continued that today, many students are being taught that Jews are evil and so they have been conditioned to hate Jews due to the false narratives surrounding them. Watch Alyza Lewin’s statements below, or watch the full hearing here. Authored By: Yonah Cohen