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U.S. K-12 Schools. A new ADL survey
of parents of K-12 students showed that among that audience, 71% of Jewish parents surveyed noted that their child experienced antisemitic incidents at school. Also significantly, 37% of non-Jewish parents also reported that their child had disclosed encountering antisemitism at school. This highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions in educational environments to combat these prejudices from an early age, so ADL’s report contains a list of ways that schools can take action to reduce antisemitism.
DEEPER: To find more information and ways to take action, visit the ADL K-12 Resource Center, including new guidance for independent school parents who want their schools to address the antisemitic rhetoric featured at a recent NAIS People of Color Conference.
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George Mason. A freshman at George Mason University, Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, has been arrested for allegedly plotting a mass-casualty attack
on Israel’s General Consulate in New York. The Egyptian national was charged with instructing an undercover FBI agent to carry out the attack. Hassan referred to the consulate as “a goldmine of targets” and targeted Jewish individuals, according to FBI documents. Hassan, who had been facing deportation, was caught in Virginia and banned from campus. The university has increased campus police patrols. If convicted, Hassan could face up to 20 years in prison before deportation proceedings resume.
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(George Mason campus. Source: NBC News video screengrab) |
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Philadelphia K-12 Schools. In an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the largest school district in Pennsylvania has signed off on a resolution that finds that the district failed to prove that it protected Jewish students despite “repeated, extensive notice” of antisemitic behavior in district schools. This resolution resolves allegations against the School District of Philadelphia that were
raised by ADL in a complaint filed in July 2024. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt praised Jewish students and parents “who had the courage to speak out against the pattern of antisemitic harassment, abuse and bullying.” The resolution includes a lengthy list of steps that the school district has agreed to.
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Rutgers. Two faculty unions at Rutgers University passed BDS resolutions championed by Faculty for Justice in Palestine. The resolutions call for divestment and for the university to cut ties to Tel Aviv University because, as the resolution puts it “Israeli universities play a key role in supporting Israel’s system of apartheid rule.” The group
Jewish Faculty, Staff, and Administrators at Rutgers countered these claims, termed the resolutions controversial and divisive, and noted that "The State of New Jersey opposes BDS."
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(Source: RutgersFJP | Instagram) |
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Congressional Report on Campus Antisemitism. A GOP-led congressional report
has been released, with a focus on investigating the alarming surge of antisemitism since Hamas’s 10/7 terrorist attack. The report found that several universities failed to stop antisemitism on their campuses, likely violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Additionally, the report found that several American-based tax-exempt organizations may have funneled American taxpayer dollars to designated terrorist organizations. ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt
commended the report, saying “the Staff Report on Antisemitism shines a light on many of the issues ADL has been sounding an alarm on for the past year... College administrators have the responsibility to protect their students – yet they too often have failed to enforce their own policies and codes of conduct.”
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Never Again Education Act. Bipartisan legislation led by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) to extend the Never Again Education Act
has passed and now awaits the President’s signature. Originally enacted in 2020, the act funds resources and teacher training through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to educate students about the Holocaust and combat antisemitism. With this reauthorization, the program will continue through 2030, ensuring critical Holocaust education remains a priority. Rosen underscored the urgency, stating, “We’re at a critical time when we need to ensure the next generation is fully educated about the atrocities of the Holocaust and the dangers of antisemitism.”
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University of California System. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has resolved antisemitism- and Islamophobia-related civil rights complaints
involving UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz. In the announcement, the government noted that “the Universities appear not to have responded promptly or effectively” when the problems initially arose. Six of the nine complaints involved harassment against Jewish and Israeli students. ADL welcomes
the resolution, including its audit requirement of past complaints to "help ensure that those responsible for harassing, intimidating and attacking Jewish students will not evade accountability.”
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Israeli Colleges to Adopt IHRA Antisemitism Definition. Twenty-four Israeli colleges have pledged to adopt
the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, joining over 1,260 institutions worldwide. The IHRA definition includes denying the Jewish people's right to self-determination as a manifestation of antisemitism. “Academia should be a beacon of enlightenment,” said Raheli Baratz of the World Zionist Organization, adding that academic boycotts of Israeli institutions undermine the principles of academic freedom. | 
