It’s a difficult and emotional subject to talk about: antisemitism in schools.
Even if you get a meeting with the principal after an alleged antisemitic incident, what do you say? Should a student be punished? A teacher fired? Should parents seek curriculum changes? What’s the role of freedom of speech?
A new Palm Beach County program aims to give parents and other caregivers the skills to tackle these conversations with knowledge and confidence. Empowered Parents, a free series of classes, is set to teach adults to advocate for Jewish students, converse with administrators respectfully and make sure kids feel safe at school.
The program, created by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and offered in partnership with the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, began in New York in May 2023 and has been spreading around the country. Antisemitism has exploded since 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
That year saw a record-breaking 8,873 antisemitic incidents in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The following year was also unprecedented, with 9,354 recorded events.
Incidents also arose in Palm Beach County schools. Kimberly Coombs, the district’s K-12 Holocaust studies planner who also works on antisemitism issues, said she gets reports about once a week about on-campus interactions, which she shares with the administration, Jewish federations and the ADL.
Coombs said these incidents usually end with a consequence for the offending student: Recently, a seventh-grader who drew a swastika on a table got suspended for four days and had to complete several assignments related to the history of swastikas and the impact of hate speech.
Boca Raton parent Joanna Drowos, a co-chair of the Empowered Parents program with her husband, Bryan, said they have been following the Israel-Hamas conflict and its ripple effects closely. Her kids are in middle and high school at a secular private school.
“There have been conversations at my kids’ school about how the conflict has been presented,” Drowos said. “We’re paying attention to the climate and what they may experience. The school has been responsive.”
An opening reception for Empowered Parents, set for Oct. 22, is expected to feature the school district’s Coombs and Laura Shaw Frank, vice president of the American Jewish Committee’s Center for Education Advocacy. The program will follow up with three classes beginning in February that will explore the following topics:
Session 1 — Advocacy
The first class will take a look at real-life scenarios that have been coming up on campuses and offer strategies on how to begin conversations with school administrators.
Session 2 — Effectively Discussing Jewish Identity
In this session, “participants will gain insight into how schools can approach these issues in more nuanced, inclusive ways, fostering a deeper understanding of Jewish history and identity,” according to the AJC.
Session 3 — Israel and the Middle East: Understanding Terminology and How to Discuss It
This class is designed to give caregivers essential knowledge about Israel and show them how to offer layered approaches to teaching about the country’s conflicts, encouraging “balanced and nuanced conversations that are rooted in historical fact and take into account the different narratives that different communities bring to the table,” according to the AJC.
These dialogues are essential for teaching the general student population about their Jewish peers, said Debbie Koristz, the AJC’s associate director of advocacy and programming.
“Two years after Oct. 7, antisemitism continues to skyrocket,” Koristz said. “This is an opportunity for parents and grandparents to get the tools to have real conversations that move the needle.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Empowered Parents opening reception
When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22
WHERE: Location given after registration
COST: Free
RSVP: Required by Oct. 20; call Debbie Koristz of the AJC at 561-994-4776 or email koristzd@ajc.org
INFORMATION: ajc.org/palmbeach
