Opinion | Seattle-Area Schools Are Failing Jewish Students

Remembering October 7, 2023

We were finishing Shabbat dinner, when a friend of my younger son came back to the table and told us that he thinks something major is going on in Israel.

His phone was buzzing out of control with alerts of attacks there. He then showed us a photo of a group of elderly people waiting at a bus stop in Israel, with a second photo of them murdered on the ground.

That was the first of many graphic photos and videos I received, and with them came new scrolling habits and ways of seeing things. What should be one last glance at my phone before sleep, has now become watching story after story of those murdered and held hostage, and footage of their broken loved ones. I feel an obligation to hear testimonies of those who witnessed the unimaginable carnage and weaponized sexual violence, and those superhuman individuals that are somehow surviving in the aftermath.

In the year since the brutal Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel, where more than 1,200 were brutally murdered and 251 were taken into Gaza as hostages, anti-Israel protests have surged across the United States. These demonstrations often stray from pro-Palestinian support to outright calls for violence against Jews and the elimination of the State of Israel. As a result, multiple synagogues and Jewish institutions in our region have been defaced and threatened, while antisemitism spreads in our schools.

The House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education held hearings last May to address anti-Jewish hate in schools nationwide. District representatives were questioned about their failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic incidents.

Antisemitic incidents in Seattle-area schools

Through biased curricula, hostile classroom environments and a lack of understanding about the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, antisemitism is increasingly evident in our K–12 educational system.

In November 2023, a mother of three students in the Bellevue School District gave testimony to the school board that her children were exposed to chants of “gas the Jews” at one of the school walkout rallies. She told a local radio station that her children were told by other students, “Go to Israel and die there!”

In December 2023, a Shoreline elementary school presented a lesson on protest to second graders, including a video that featured anti-Israel chants and linked Palestinian protests to those of indigenous groups worldwide. Children were shown clips of demonstrators chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a call to eradicate Israel. The video did not show any footage of pro-Israel demonstrations. StandWithUs, a nonprofit organization focused on fighting antisemitism, filed a complaint with the District.

Following an investigation, the Shoreline Unified School District confirmed that the lesson materials were not part of the District’s approved curriculum. In a response to StandWithUs about the incident, Shoreline’s Superintendent Susana Reyes stated, “I find that the lesson plan, which included video depicting pro-Palestinian marches and protest signs regarding the Israel/Palestine conflict was not age-appropriate, nor did it guide discussion on that subject with objectivity or the need to recognize opposing viewpoints.”

Last spring, in April 2024, a Chief Sealth High School teacher, who is also the Department Chair of Social Studies, made inflammatory comments justifying the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. Despite media reports and complaints from parents about his behavior, he remained on paid administrative leave with the Seattle School District following this incident.

Jewish history, culture and religion

Jewish parents at Seattle’s Lakeside School shared that following the Oct. 7 attack last year, they were finally given an affinity group after advocating for one for several years. The school labeled it as a religious group despite objections from the parents themselves. This group of parents described themselves as having little to no religious background, but all felt deeply tied to their ethnic and cultural heritage as Jews and insisted that they should be the ones to determine how their families were identified.

I hear from many parents of Jewish students in local independent and public schools that they are concerned over the apparent lack of understanding among school administrators regarding Jewish history and the significance of Israel to the Jewish community. While most American Jews view Israel as their ancestral homeland, many educators lack a holistic understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a glance

1947: The UN Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) recommends partitioning the Mandate of Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state under the United Nations Partition Plan.

1987: Hamas is founded with the aim of eliminating the State of Israel and Jews worldwide, as stated in its charter.

1993 and 1995: The Oslo Accords are signed between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), aiming to negotiate borders and establish Palestinian self-governance through the Palestinian Authority (PA).

1997: U.S. President Bill Clinton designates Hamas as a terror organization.

2000: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. President Bill Clinton host Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for peace talks at the Camp David Summit. The Palestinians reject the plan.

2005: Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, dismantling settlements and military installations. The PA assumes control.

2007: Hamas violently seizes control of Gaza from the PA.

2008–2023: Hamas, supported by Iran, launches multiple significant attacks against Israel from Gaza, including in 2008, 2009, 2014, 2021 and Oct. 7, 2023.

Humans, not movements, are hurt by hate

The deep imprint Oct. 7, 2023 has made on Jews, personally and collectively can’t be underestimated. There are the events of the day itself, and then the flood of what the Jewish community has been contending with since.

This includes the normalization of crowds rallying in support of barbarism against Jews, ripping down posters of hostages held in Gaza, all while blaming Jews for the atrocities committed against them. The violence continues to unleash against Jewish institutions from synagogues to schools, from Jewish-owned restaurants to retirement communities.

When I see posters with a Star of David in the trash and the message, “keep the world clean,” it’s clear to me that this is about Jews. It’s not about just being anti-Israel or anti-Zionist. Have no illusions, the intent of anti-Zionism seeks to generate hostility towards Jews as people.

Calls for action

To ensure a safe and inclusive school environment, administrators must enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy toward bullying and harassment for all children, including Jewish students. This policy should be communicated clearly and consistently to staff and students, fostering an atmosphere of respect and accountability.

Schools should also encourage open dialogue, facilitating educational programs that address discrimination that includes antisemitism.

It’s essential to include Jewish students in support networks, offering resources, counseling and effective platforms to voice their concerns.

These combined efforts help cultivate a school environment where all students feel respected and safe.

Editor's note: ParentMap publishes articles, op-eds and essays by people from all walks of life. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own and are not endorsed by ParentMap. All photos by Alayne Sulkin.