The beginning of the K-12 school year is quickly approaching. While dates vary depending on the school district, the period from Aug. 26 to Sept. 3 will see students all over Maryland returning to class.
However, some Jewish parents might be concerned about their children returning to a public school environment. The anniversary of Oct. 7 is fast approaching, and the issue of antisemitism in schools has become a hot-button topic. Parents, as well as older students, might be worried about antisemitism as protests against Israel’s military involvement in Gaza continue.
But school districts, as well as education-focused Jewish organizations, have been working to ensure that Jewish students feel safe and respected, and that they have opportunities to engage with their culture and religion through extracurricular activities.
Baltimore County Public Schools stated that they continue to follow the same guidelines they outlined following Oct. 7, offering support and counseling to students while condemning antisemitism and Islamophobia on school grounds.
“I want to state clearly that hateful, racist, or discriminatory acts against any member of Team BCPS will not be tolerated and anyone who engages in such behavior will be dealt with swiftly,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers in a statement issued in late October 2023. “I have heard directly from Jewish and Muslim staff and stakeholders about their concerns, fears and needs. We are especially sensitive to their needs during these tumultuous times given the uptick in targeted attacks across the nation against members of these communities.”
BCPS administration also pointed to the presence of on-site support, such as school counselors and social workers, as a resource for students who may be feeling unsafe or need a space to discuss their emotions.
For more Jewish-specific support, that’s where student groups such as NCSY comes in. The Orthodox Union-affiliated organization creates and facilitates programs, often educational in nature, for Jewish teenagers. These include Jewish Student Unions at high schools.
Following Oct. 7, the Baltimore chapter of NCSY hosted several programs focusing on Israel and the complex nature of politics in the Middle East. These were meant to encourage discussion among people with differing viewpoints, and were not solely directed at Jewish students but at others interested in learning as well.
“A lot of [Jewish] students were thrust into this situation, and felt a responsibility to become de facto ambassadors regarding the aftermath of Oct. 7,” said Rabbi Benyamin Moss, director of NCSY Baltimore. “We wanted to make sure they were well prepared to navigate the complexity of issues and the nuances involved.”
They organized these programs at public and private schools alike, including Towson High School, Pikesville High School, McDonogh School and Gilman School.
Moss and NCSY Baltimore City Coordinator Mordi Spero, who runs the Jewish Student Unions in the Baltimore area, both noted that there have not been any incidents of targeted antisemitic harassment at any of the schools the organization is involved with, but that teachers and students still don’t quite know how to address certain questions or explain their own perspectives on the issue.
The fact that people have had time to process what happened has informed their approach for the 2024-25 school year.
“Last year, due to the volume of incidents, we were in a reactive position when it came to antisemitism, focusing primarily on the safety of our teens while standing up to hate,” Spero said. “This year, we are proactively celebrating the beauty of Judaism — showing teens how amazing it is to be Jewish. It’s always been our intention to focus on the positive and have teens grow their Jewish identity and pride in their homeland.”
Most importantly, Moss and Spero stressed that there is a need for school administration to treat antisemitism just like they would treat racism, sexism or any other kind of bigotry at school.
“Some Jewish students feel a lack of support. There’s an idea that antisemitism isn’t as big a deal [as other kinds of hate],” Spero said. “But it should be dealt with just like discrimination against any other religious group should.”
