New training course to support U.S. educators to address antisemitism

Teachers require support to address antisemitism, intolerance and discrimination through education.

Between September and December 2022, ADL data shows that there were over 30 antisemitic incidents in educational settings in the United States of America. This includes a series of violent attacks, including bomb threats and physical assault.  Meanwhile, acts of antisemitic violence represented over 59% of religious-based hate crimes reported to the US authorities in 2020.

Rising conspiracy theories, including on social media, pose new challenges to education systems as  teachers are having to address hate speech, prejudice and disinformation in their classrooms.

To better support educators teach about antisemitism and respond effectively to incidents, UNESCO, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation – Institute for Visual History and Education (USC SFI), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) have joined together to make online professional development easily available for educators in the United States of America.

Here’s what you need to know about the online training.

Antisemitism continues to pose a threat to the security of Jewish communities and individuals globally (Anti-Defamation League, Annual Audit 2017). In 2021, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) found that 1 in 4 American Jews (24%) have personally experienced antisemitism, and that four in ten (39%) have changed their behavior out of fear of antisemitism, avoiding going certain places, wearing religious items that would identify them as Jewish, or avoiding posting content online that would reveal their thoughts on Israel or Jewish issues.

Social media and other online platforms have amplified hateful messages and conspiracy theories that often target and scapegoat Jews and Jewish communities. What’s more, Holocaust denial and distortion spread faster and further on online platforms, with a UN/UNESCO study finding that 49 % of posts about the Holocaust on Telegram deny or distort its facts. On TikTok, a platform popular with young people, this figure remains high at 17%. The proliferation on antisemitism drives the spread of violent extremist ideologies and undermines democratic values and human rights

Educators have a responsibility to address antisemitism and other forms of intolerance and discrimination wherever it occurs. Teachers and school leaders have a duty to create school environments that are safe and inclusive of all students, including Jewish students.

In schools, young people can safely learn about the nature of antisemitism, its impact on society as whole, how it erodes democratic principles and threatens human rights. Through lessons that develop knowledge and young people’s social and emotional skills, teachers can help to build their resilience to prejudice, conspiracy thinking, and the toxic ideologies that drive discrimination and hatred.

Educators will have the opportunity to learn from international and U.S. experts on antisemitism, as well as the pedagogies and learning approaches from human rights and global citizenship education to counter prejudice and hate speech. Participants will have access to resources from UNESCO and the OSCE/ODIHR, as well as testimonies and learning activities from the USC Shoah Foundation’s IWitness programme to address antisemitism through social and emotional learning.

Educators will also have the opportunity to learn about strategies to address to antisemitic incidents in schools, and “inoculate” against conspiratorial thinking with learners, including Holocaust denial, using the UNESCO guide on what teachers need to know about conspiracy theories.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) can support young people and teachers develop and acquire competencies to form a healthy identity centred around the self-world capacity, display empathy and compassion for self and others, and become engaged and participatory members of their communities. Building on the strengths of the IWitness programme by the USC Shoah Foundation, the training will provide insights into the causes and consequences of antisemitism as experienced by thousands of individuals, enabling both empathy and knowledge to become tools for action.

The training builds on OSCE/ODIHR and UNESCO ‘s joint educational materials: Addressing Anti-Semitism through Education: Guidelines for Policymakers, and Addressing Anti-Semitism in Schools: Training Curricula. In addition, ODIHR also published a set of ten materials to support teachers in the classroom: Addressing Anti-Semitism through Education: Teaching Aids.

Through sharing resources and materials for educators and learners the training will also provide valuable strategies on how to mount an effective response to antisemitism through education.

The training primarily supports superintendents, school teachers, school principals and subject Matter Coordinators in the United States who will earn microcredentials for taking each module. Educators in other countries can also access the training.

Micro-credentials certify the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences, for example a short course or training. They offer a global, flexible, targeted way to help people develop the knowledge, skills and competences they need for their personal and professional development.

By offering training in short sessions, on focused themes, teachers and education stakeholders have the flexibility to attend training based on their self-identified needs and interests, or attend all trainings to become a certified educator against antisemitism.

Educators can enroll in the training here.