THe first petition from a jewish organization to the DOE, OCR & congress

We now have over 10,000 signatures and coalition members! Let's keep it going!

Dear Mr. Secretary,

We are members and supporters of the Jewish community, many of us Jewish parents. For years we have been witnessing the erasure and vilification of Jewish identity and history in K-12 schools, and the detrimental impact this has had on Jewish students. We are outraged at the relentless use of historically incorrect information in the classroom to demonize and delegitimize the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland, Israel. We are equally outraged that our classrooms have been transformed into spaces for indoctrination and that students are not only being taught incorrect information, but indoctrinated by activists who masquerade as educators. If before, antisemitism presented itself most strongly in universities, the anti-Jewish educational materials in K-12 schools creates a dangerous bridge where antisemitism is reinforced between schools and higher education. 

The ideologically-driven curriculum rampant in K-12 education is neither focused on teaching facts nor designed to encourage a healthy exchange of ideas. Rather, it is intended to brainwash children into becoming activists for specific political causes that engage in the dehumanization of others. This educational malpractice, documented by parents, community stake-holders, teachers, and students, is creating a space where Jewish students are hiding their Jewish identity. Furthermore, the “hierarchy of oppression” which dominates teaching across various departments (ELA, History, Social Studies, Ethnic Studies) has a harmful and detrimental effect not just for Jewish students, but all students. All students are harmed when teachers and school administrators promulgate the false zero-sum thinking in which anyone with power is guilty.  All students, independent of race, gender, ethnicity, and religion, have the right to learn in an environment that does not foster bigotry. 

A recently released report details the egregious use of factually incorrect information within one school district in California. Another report details an ongoing investigation for religious and ethnic discrimination in two of the Bay Area's biggest schools districts. In New York public schools, Jewish students are forced to sit in classrooms where Israel, the ethnic and ancestral homeland of the Jewish people, has been erased. 

After the massacre of October 7, 2023, the largest massacre waged against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, global antisemitism is up by 337%. As such, at a moment when antisemitism is at an all-time high, the inclusion and sanctioning of teaching material that is committed to advocacy and activism whose goal is to demonize and delegitimize the Jewish state, home to half of the world’s Jewish population, constitutes clear incitement to further acts of antisemitism. Nationwide, antisemitism in schools is rampant and often driven not only by classroom curriculum, but sanctioned by DEI policies. Additionally, the anti-Israel statements made on behalf of school boards and teacher unions have contributed to Jews fleeing their school districts. 

All American parents expect that their children learn in safe environments at school, free from threats, harassment, and intimidation. The past two months, which have only amplified the already alarming educational malpractice occurring in our schools, have shown that this is not the case for thousands of Jewish students from coast to coast. Now, more than ever, it is time to take action. We urge that you:

• properly investigate the current curriculum and educational materials about Jews, Israel, the Middle East, and the Holocaust and used by teachers in their classrooms.
• ensure that those individuals investigating the educational material have a professional background in the history of the Jewish people, the history of Israel and antisemitism.
• notify parents that their children may have been exposed to historically incorrect information in the classroom.
• adopt and endorse the IHRA definition of antisemitism that has been adopted by the U.S. State department, as well as over 1000 global entities.
• ensure that federal resources are not being spent on fueling antisemitism in the classroom.
• investigate and regulate the foreign funding of our public educational institutions.

We hope you will join us in our goal to ensure that education is free from misinformation that contributes to discrimination and that all Jewish students have the equal opportunity to learn in a safe learning environment. 

Thank you,

JewsInSchool