July 15, 2025
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Exclusion of Jews is no longer confined to fringe protests or campus encampments – it now reaches America’s most powerful civic institutions. There are escalating threats to Jewish inclusion and identity – from classrooms to clinics, and campuses to chatbots. Silence is not a luxury anyone can afford. Steps must be taken to advocate for Jews in society, whether in educational, workplace or medical arenas.
Delegates of the largest U.S. teachers union recently voted to ban the use of educational materials offered by the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL is the leading national American Jewish civil rights organization working for more than a century to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” The group works in Holocaust education and anti-bias training.
What would be unthinkable for any other community – banning Holocaust education resources and dismissing Jewish definitions of bigotry – is now being normalized. This is not about politics. It is a campaign to erase the presence, identity and contributions of Jews from public life.
Classrooms: ‘Singling out a Jewish organization for boycott’
A majority of the 7,000 public school teachers and staff who attended the National Education Association Assembly in July voted to “not use, endorse or publicize any materials from the ADL, such as its materials or statistics. The NEA will not participate in ADL programs.” The resolution will now be reviewed by the Executive Committee because it is considered a boycott.
The NEA Jewish Affairs Caucus condemned the vote to “single out a respected civil rights organization that has long stood at the forefront of combating hate, protecting students’ rights, and fostering safer, more inclusive schools.” More than 375 Jewish communal organizations sent a letter to NEA leaders. Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations COO Stephanie Hausner: “This boycott sends a harmful message to the entire Jewish community. Unity in the face of anti-Jewish hate the is not optional – it is essential.”
Maryland teachers, Rebecca Kotok and Brenda Green: “We believe in creating safer, more inclusive communities. We were appalled by the recent vote. The ADL’s No Place for Hate program – a student-led program aimed at fostering schools free from hate and bias – has been implemented in more than 2,000 schools across the country. It is an organization that stands against all forms of hate. The ADL has been a staunch ally in the fight for civil rights for over a century, partnering with the NAACP to pass hate crime legislation. This vote sends a message to Jewish students and teachers that their safety and belonging are somehow less important.” The ADL also is a partner in the Echoes and Reflections Holocaust Curriculum that has been taught to 10 million students at 24,000 schools.
Jewish American Heritage Month: ‘Teachers debated Jewish identity’
California teacher Jason Goldfischer shared his chilling account from the conference: “What I witnessed shook me to my core. 7,000+ educators unanimously voted to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Month and National Day of the Black Educator – as they should. Then immediately debated – yes, debated – whether Jewish American Heritage Month was even worth recognizing. Nearly HALF the room voted against it. Against including Jews in their ‘inclusive’ vision. Against recognizing a community that’s faced thousands of years of persecution and is currently under attack globally.”
Goldfischer continued, “I saw people line up wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestine flags – eager to speak against anything Jewish. Jewish educators from Oregon, LA, the Bay Area, Maryland, New Jersey and Illinois did not feel safe in their assigned sections and had to find other places to sit. There were tears. Panic attacks. Silent breakdowns. But also hugs. Strength. Unshakable solidarity.”
Impact at Elementary Schools: ‘Radicalize students before college’
At the recent Socialism 2025 conference, a Wisconsin high school teacher openly encouraged political indoctrination of high school students: “Imagine if they got radicalized four years before college?” She encouraged conference participants to “connect with the teachers unions, connect with your children’s teachers, give us money. School boards listen to families. Small policy changes will transform your city.” This is not an isolated incident. Across social media, activists calling on parents to “raise your children anti-zionist [sic].”
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt responded to the NEA vote, cautioning against the very activism that is being advocated by the WI teacher: “The union has clearly been taken over by activists who are supposed to be teaching our children the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, not radicalism. It’s a radical agenda that these individuals are trying to insert and indoctrinate our kids by poisoning the classroom. This is bad for kids, our community and our country.”
Alarming Reaction to Murder of U.S. Jews: ‘The attacks were understandable’
Millions of Americans hold extreme or conspiratorial beliefs – including some who justify violence against Jews – according to responses from a new ADL survey: Antisemitism in America after Boulder. An Egyptian man living in America firebombed Jews walking in Boulder, CO, in support of Israeli hostages held in Gaza – killing Karen Diamond, 82. This attack came one week after an American and her Israeli boyfriend were shot and killed outside of a Jewish event in the nation’s capital. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were targeted in an arson attack at their home during Passover.
According to the survey, a shocking number of Americans shared disturbing views:
These are not just abstract numbers. CA teacher Jason Goldfischer described how “some teacher delegates even CELEBRATED the murder of a Jewish American in CO. I was stunned. Heartbroken. Horrified. We trust educators to teach our children.” Teachers have the second highest approval rating among American professionals.
Campuses, Clinics and Culture: ‘The hatred of Jews is being normalized’
An American Jewish woman was denied service from a Puerto Rico tour company because her name sounded Israeli. She tried to book a hike, but was told, “No thanks: Free Palestine.” When a friend followed up, the response was, “We are not interested to host so called israelis [sic].” Often, Jews are automatically branded as Zionists or Israelis and discriminated against because of their identity. According to the ADL survey, 58% of Americans think that when anti-Israel activists use the term “Zionist,” they mean Jewish people in general.
Israeli chemist, Dr. Shay Laps, is suing Stanford Univ. for “discrimination and malicious conduct intended to permanently tarnish his reputation and career – including tampering with his lab results and manufacturing a bogus complaint against him – merely for being Israeli.” The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Cohen Williams LLP’s federal lawsuit noted that the chemist’s colleague refused to speak with him because of his Jewish and Israeli identities.
These actions are not confined to America. A new British report concluded that the hatred of Jews has become “normalized in middle-class Britain” in the arts, universities, professional organizations and healthcare. The report’s co-authors: “The evidence stunned us, this issue is urgent for the whole country.” Also, a prestigious Swedish univ. hospital settled a lawsuit and apologized for years of abusive treatment, harassment and discrimination of Jewish doctors, including referring to their colleagues as having a “Jewish nose” and “whining like a Jew.
Pushing back against exclusion and cultural erasure requires vigilance, clarity and action …
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This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with MERCAZ USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. MERCAZ USA recognizes and respects the diversity of views on these issues among its readers and the community at large.