Beyond the Super Bowl ad: Why Jewish teens need more than a moment to fight antisemitism in schools

In February, during the Super Bowl, a connection astir antisemitism reached 1 of the largest audiences successful American history. It was clear, direct, and hard to ignore. For a little moment, the country’s attraction was focused connected a occupation that Jewish communities person been navigating for years.

People watched. They talked astir it. They shared it.

And past the infinitesimal passed.

Now the schoolhouse twelvemonth is coming to an end. Lockers are being cleaned retired and yearbooks are being signed. For galore students, summertime is simply a clip to unbend and reset. For Jewish teenagers, however, a much hard question lingers arsenic they permission schoolhouse for the year.

FROM HOMEROOM TO HATE: HOW JEWISH STUDENTS ARE FACING A NEW KIND OF PRESSURE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY, creates a viral infinitesimal during an acquisition hearing. (Michael McCoy/Getty Images)

What volition beryllium antithetic erstwhile I travel back?

Across the country, Jewish students proceed to navigate existent antisemitism. Some are being called "baby killers" by classmates. Some are told that Hitler "should person finished the job." Some amusement up to schoolhouse to find a swastika drawn connected the wall. Others are bullied online, threatened successful hallways, mocked for supporting Israel, oregon made to consciousness that simply expressing their Jewish individuality makes them a target.

At the aforesaid time, determination is different world unfolding successful those precise aforesaid schools.

I pb NCSY and the Jewish Student Union, and successful much than 550 mediate and precocious schools crossed the United States, students are choosing to stitchery successful optional Jewish clubs and programs that make a precise antithetic benignant of experience. 

Jewish teens travel unneurotic not lone with each other, but often with non-Jewish classmates who are genuinely funny to larn astir Judaism, Israel and Jewish life. These are spaces wherever students physique friendships, inquire hard questions and prosecute with Jewish individuality successful a mode that feels authentic and meaningful.

These moments are not defined by fear. They are defined by curiosity, by openness and by a consciousness of pride.

This is what existent spot looks like.

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A country from the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate's Super Bowl advertisement titled "Sticky Note." (Blue Square)

It is important to beryllium wide astir something. Creating schools that are afloat harmless environments for Jewish students is essential, and schools, communities and policymakers person a work to code antisemitism directly. That enactment cannot beryllium ignored.

But semipermanent resilience is built successful a antithetic way.

A young idiosyncratic who understands their story, who has experienced their contented and who feels connected to a larger assemblage carries a benignant of assurance that cannot beryllium easy shaken. That assurance does not travel from a azygous speech oregon a nationalist moment. It develops implicit clip done relationships, shared experiences and accordant engagement with thing meaningful.

This is the enactment we are focused on. It is not astir teaching teenagers however to triumph arguments. It is astir helping them physique a consciousness of individuality that is beardown capable and lived profoundly enough, that it cannot beryllium undone by a remark successful a hallway oregon a header online. 

A pupil who has experienced the joyousness of Shabbat, who has built friendships crossed communities, and who feels connected to their heritage, carries a benignant of affectional and intelligence spot that others cannot instrumentality away.

When students instrumentality to schoolhouse aft experiences similar these, the situation astir them whitethorn not person changed. But they have. They are much grounded, much connected and much assured successful who they are.

They bash not trust connected a infinitesimal to archer them who they are.

That favoritism matters, particularly now.

Jewish students astatine El Camino Real Charter High School successful Woodland Hills, Calif., locomotion retired to protestation antisemitic incidents connected Tuesday, Feb. 2024. (Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

The question is not whether the Super Bowl connection was meaningful. The question is whether we are consenting to enactment connected it successful ways that make lasting change.

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The decisions that volition signifier the adjacent schoolhouse twelvemonth are being made close now. Parents are speaking with administrators. School leaders are reviewing policies and procedures. Community organizations are readying for the months ahead. These conversations volition find what students locomotion backmost into successful the fall.

Now is the time. Which schools are opening caller Jewish Student Union clubs? Which summertime programs are helping teens hole for the challenges and opportunities they volition look erstwhile they instrumentality to campus? Which parents are encouraging their children to enactment successful Jewish extracurricular life, physique Jewish friendships and deepen their transportation to their individuality earlier the adjacent schoolhouse twelvemonth begins?

A pro-Hamas slogan speechmaking "Free Palestine. From the River to the Sea" is scrawled connected a blackboard astatine Susan E. Wagner High School successful New York City. (Fox News Digital)

This enactment seldom becomes nationalist news. It does not aerial during the Super Bowl. But it is the benignant of enactment that shapes whether a Jewish teen walks into schoolhouse feeling isolated oregon supported, hesitant oregon proud.

If we are superior astir addressing antisemitism, past we cannot bounds ourselves to statements and consciousness campaigns alone. We indispensable put successful the relationships, communities and experiences that springiness young radical the assurance to basal gangly arsenic Jews agelong earlier they brushwood hostility successful a schoolroom oregon hallway.

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By the extremity of the summer, Jewish students volition instrumentality to their schools. They volition rapidly recognize whether the adults astir them treated this contented arsenic a passing infinitesimal oregon arsenic a existent responsibility.

They are watching. And they volition know.