How hate is taught in American schools: ‘We're raising a generation of antisemites’

An extensive and detailed report by journalist Abigail Shrier for The Free Press revealed how the extreme left is storming America's schools to indoctrinate children and teenagers in antisemitism, disguised as anti-Zionism, in order to advance its dark agenda. This incitement to hatred is done mainly through a subject called ethnic studies, which is already taught in more than 12 states.

While this ideological current also typically uses other issues to attack capitalism and Western civilization, such as environmentalism, racism or gender ideology, they are currently focusing their narrative on the so-called “Palestinian cause,” in order to indoctrinate young people in the “struggle against colonialism, imperialism, oppression” and all kinds of straw men they create to serve as an enemy.

Therefore, as the report shows, they are putting together a strategy to incite hatred against Jews in schools where young people are meant to learn.

The subject of ethnic studies

Students taking ethnic studies classes are supposed to be learning about the history and culture of Asians, African-Americans and some Pacific Islanders. At least that's what the standards indicate. However, teachers often use these classes to divide societies into “oppressed” and “oppressors” and to demonize Israel.

How to indoctrinate hate without getting fired

The Free Press indicated that last August, the United Teachers Los Angeles, the second largest teachers' union in the United States, met to discuss, among other issues, how to indoctrinate students to demonize Israel without being fired.

At that meeting, a history teacher named Ron Gochez, who was seated in front of a table that was partially covered by a kufiya, a traditional Arab headscarf that many pro-Hamas activists use to identify with the Palestinian cause, was one of those who gave a presentation on the topic.

Gochez explained, among other things, how to bring students to an anti-Israeli protest without arousing suspicion. And he called on teachers to organize because "we have to know that Zionists and others are going to try to catch us in any way that they can to get us into trouble."

Likewise, the antisemitic teacher urged his colleagues to be cautious, as there may be teachers, members of a school's administration or students who report them.

Wiliam Shattuc, a teacher at the meeting, expressed his support for Gochez's remarks, stating that a "good history education is political education." He also urged those present to be aware of the "tools of censorship" that he said the "movement for Zionism" uses, which, according to him and others, consists of accusing teachers who demonize Israel of antisemitism.

An ethnic studies teacher named Guadalupe Carrasco Cardona, who was recently awarded a National Education Association Foundation award for excellence in teaching, argued that attempting to label indoctrination in hatred of Israel as antisemitism is "ridiculous."

Carrasco Cardona also said that the subject she teaches is incompatible with support for Israel. She added that supporting the Jewish state in its war against countries and terrorist organizations that want to exterminate it implies supporting "genocide."

The important collaboration of radical leftist organizations with schools

The Free Press indicated that the aforementioned meeting is not just a one-off event, and stressed that there are a number of radical leftist organizations that supply materials to teachers to indoctrinate children and teenagers in hatred of Israel.

Among the radical groups that collaborate with teachers are the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA), Teaching While Muslim, Jewish Voice for Peace, Union del Barrio and the Zinn Education Project.

Materials provided by these organizations can be found in a variety of classes, not just ethnic studies classes. In addition, it is propagated in online curricula, which are password protected, circumventing parental oversight.

The worrying rise of antisemitism in schools

Jewish students, being unprotected, must defend themselves.

Ella, a senior at Sunnyvale High School in Sunnyvale, Calif., commented that after the Oct. 7 massacre, her school saw a significant increase in the demonization of Israel, which is why she decided to put up posters with the images of the hostages who had been kidnapped by the terrorist group Hamas. However, these posters were torn down minutes after she put them up.

She also noted that teachers used to comment that the "Zionists" were committing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip. This happened not only in class, but also on social media.

This indoctrination has influenced many students, as in 2024 there was a significant increase in antisemitic incidents against Jewish students, in which their classmates called them "genocidal" or "baby killers," ergo they used the same accusations that their teachers made against the State of Israel.

Ella, who was one of the students who suffered harassment at school and on social media, filed a report on the matter with the school in early 2024, but the institution's principal, assistant superintendent and the school district's legal counsel decided not to move forward with an investigation into the matter.

She and a Jewish friend also suffered discrimination by authorities after a talent show, in which several students sang songs in celebration of their ethnic heritage, the girls were pulled aside for singing in Hebrew in honor of their families in Israel because staff and some students had become upset.

The Free Press mentioned other serious cases of antisemitism reported in some California schools.

A young American-Israeli girl walked into her French class at a Cupertino, Calif., school and found that many of the other students and the teacher were carrying a Palestinian flag or “akufiya” on the occasion of the Middle Eastern Club movement's pro-Palestinian Day.

In another incident, on the first day of school after the Oct. 7 massacre, an American-Israeli girl asked the world history teacher for permission to go to the bathroom so she could calm down. However, the teacher, who had decorated the classroom with maps of the Middle East that did not show Israel, said he would grant her permission if she would first read aloud a passage he had selected about how, in the past, "Palestinians and Jews had gotten along." The girl agreed to do so.

The next day, according to the complaint, two classmates wearing hijabs, a veil worn by Muslim women, harassed her and told her that "Jews are terrorists" and that her family "lives on stolen land." Days later, some classmates chased her around shouting "We want you to die" and began referring to her as a "Jew" in a derogatory tone.

According to the complaint, the parents met with school staff repeatedly, but nothing was done to ensure the girl's safety or improve her situation.

In a Brooklyn school, some third grade teachers made students sing a song called “The Wheels on the Tank,” sang to the tune of the famous children's song “The Wheels on the Bus,” whose lyrics urged them to hate Israel and call to "free Palestine."

It should be added that students were reading the lyrics from a book with illustrations of Palestinian children throwing rocks at Israeli tanks.

In Portland, Ore., preschool lesson plans included the story of Handala, a fictional Palestinian cartoon character symbolizing resistance. In the story, the boy notes that he had to flee his home because "a group of bullies called Zionists wanted our land so they stole it by force and hurt many people."

The list of similar cases where teachers incite children to hatred and several students harass their Jewish classmates after being indoctrinated by their teachers goes on. And, unfortunately, the fact that the authorities, out of ineptitude, lack of interest or even intentionally, do not take any measures to counter acts of hatred is also seen repeatedly.

Indoctrination in hate also influences students' poor performance

The Free Press indicated that in the 2023-2024 school year, less than half of students met proficiency standards in reading and less than 33% in math, and instead of focusing on improving this, the Los Angeles Unified School District prefers to focus on attacking Israel. In fact, the teachers' union in that city recently voted against U.S. arms sales to the Jewish state, even though it is not a direct issue.

Moreover, the union's recent report of motions, presented in mid-October of this year, shows that half of the measures put to a vote were related to anti-Israeli proposals.

The strategy of anti-Israeli organizations

Dillon Hosier, executive director of the Israeli-American Civic Action Network, explained that for generations, the Jewish community has invested its resources in nonprofit organizations, which legally are not allowed to lobby. Instead, he added that various anti-Israel groups are successfully placing people in public office and getting legislation passed, a strategy that is paying off, as state legislators are reluctant to confront the growing problem in their schools.

Federal law gives parents the right to inspect their children's educational materials. But schools often refuse to do so, citing copyright law as an excuse.

However, Lori Lowenthal Marcus, legal director of The Debora Project, an organization that protects the civil rights of Jews in the education system, told The Free Press that as long as a parent does not duplicate and sell the material, there is no copyright violation, so it is possible to provide the material to her without inconvenience.

‘We're raising a generation of antisemites’

A Jewish substitute teacher in Oakland, Calif., who asked not to be identified, said she has been shocked in the past year by the number of anti-Israeli messages directed at children. She added that only Jewish families protest it, but if there are no students belonging to this community, the material is usually taught without restriction.

"We're raising a generation of antisemites," she said.