Responding to Antisemitism: Resources for Educators
How can schools create an environment where Jewish students feel safe and respected while preventing antisemitic bullying and rhetoric?
These classroom resources include lesson plans, activities, and discussion questions.
Recommended Resources
Resources from Anti-Defamation League
- Helping Students Make Sense of News Stories About Bias and Injustice
- Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate (Resources in English/Spanish)
- Talking to Young Children about Bias and Prejudice
- Anti-Bias Tools & Strategies
- Pyramid of Hate: From Bias to Genocide (in English and Spanish)
Classroom Resources and Booklists
Classroom Resources
- Discussing Political Violence with ELLs, Immigrants, and Refugees (Colorín Colorado)
- Anti-Semitism and Addressing Hate (ShareMyLesson)
- Teaching Current Events in Your Classroom (Facing History and Ourselves)
- 15 Tips for Talking with Students About Mass Violence (Colorín Colorado)
- How to Talk to Your Kids About Scary Situations (PJ Library)
Classroom Resources: Teaching the Holocaust
- Teaching About the Holocaust (United States Holocaust Museum)
- Teaching the Holocaust (Echoes and Reflections)
- Holocaust Resources (Faching History and Ourselves)
- Resources for Teaching About the Holocaust (Larry Ferlazzo)
Related Booklists
The Anti-Defamation League notes that, "Reading + discussing children's literature w/children about diversity, bias and social justice is a great way to fight hate." See their collection of books, as well as these lists below, for ideas.
- Jewish Children's Themed Booklists: Traditions, Holidays, and More (PJ Library)
- Stories of Jewish Refugees (Colorín Colorado)
Books About World War II and Beyond
- Children's Booklist About the Holocaust (U.S. Holocaust Museum)
- Books About the Holocaust for Children, Middle Grades, and Young Adults (Jewish Book Council)
More Recommendations
For more recommendations for children and young adults, see the following:
- Booklists for Children and Young Adults (Colorín Colorado)
- We Need Diverse Books
Related Topics
Welcoming Immigrant Students / Immigration
- Making Immigrant Students and Families Feel Welcome (Colorín Colorado)
- Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment for ELLs and Immigrant Students (Colorín Colorado)
Addressing Bullying and Bias
- 8 Tips to Protect ELLs from Bullying in Your Classroom and School (Colorín Colorado)
- Preventing Cyberbullying: Multilingual Resources for Schools and Families (Compiled by Colorín Colorado)
- Bullying Prevention Resources (Share My Lesson)
- Bullying Help: Resources and Partners (Teaching Tolerance)
Talking about Tough Topics in the News
- Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events (Share My Lesson)
- Difficult Times and Tough Talks for Young Children (Sesame Street)
- Parenting for a Challenging World: Recovery After a Traumatic Event (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
- Help in the Times of Crisis or Loss (National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement)
- Talking About Tragic Events (One Tough Job)
- How to Talk to Your Kids About Scary Situations (PJ Library)
Talking to Children About Tragedies & Other News Events: Bilingual Tips in English and Spanish (HealthyChildren.org)
Lesson Plans: Charlottesville, VA
- In Her Own Words: Confronting Charlottesville (Anti-Defamation League)
- Resources For Educators To Use In The Wake Of Charlottesville (NPR)
- #CharlottesvilleCurriculum (Twitter discussion)
- Charlottesville Curriculum (Share My Lesson)
- #CharlottesvilleCurriculum Helps Educators Respond to Tragic Events (International Literacy Association)
- The first thing teachers should do when school starts is talk about hatred in America. Here's help. (The Washington Post)
Archived Resources
Note: The following resources for students were originally compiled following the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA in October 2018. Archived resources include the following:
- Antisemitism Is on the Rise. Can Teaching About the Holocaust Help? (Education Week)
- Synagogue Shooting Tests Pittsburgh, A Community Proud of Welcoming Refugees (The Washington Post)
- ‘How can you fight hate?’: Schools mourn, and act, following synagogue massacre (The Washington Post)
- Anti-Semitism is on the rise in schools. After Pittsburgh, teachers grapple with a response. (Chalkbeat)
- What Do We Tell Our Jewish Children About The Pittsburgh Shootings? (WBUR)
- Director of the Fred Rogers Center on the Pittsburgh Synagogue Attack Took Place In Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (WBUR)
- Squirrel Hill, Mr. Rogers' Neigborhood (NPR)
- Pittsburgh Grapples To Explain Synagogue Tragedy to Children (NPR)
- Muslim Organizations Raise Funds for Pittsburgh (NPR)
- Why HIAS, a Group Supporting Refugees, Became a Target of Hate (The Atlantic)
- Responding to the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting (Teaching Tolerance)
- How to Discuss Anti-Semitism in the Wake of the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting (PBS NewsHour Extra)
- Teaching & Learning Resources for the Pittsburgh Shooting (Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day)
- News Stories About Pittsburgh Shooting (Leveled reading articles from Newsela)
