First on Fox: In an executive order on January 29, President Donald Trump directed additional measures to combat anti-Semitism, saying on October 7, 2023 that terrorist attacks in Israel produced “an unprecedented wave of anti-Semitism, vandalism, and violence against citizens, especially at schools and campuses.”
Leo Terrell, a senior adviser to the Civil Rights Advisor, who leads the new Department of Justice task force to combat anti-Semitism, told Fox News Digital that the president had instructed his task force “to use all the tools in our toolbox to stop this anti-impressive action.”
He added that Attorney General Pam Bondy “was following President Trump’s instructions…she gave me a green light to do everything she could and use the power of the federal government to stop this.”
Terrell said since October 7th the country has “returned to Jewish Americans in schools in their daily lives.”
Anti-Semitism prejudice appears to thrive in New York City’s public schools. A pressure group called the New York Public Schools Alliance, a network of relevant teachers, students and administrators led by co-founder Karen Feldman, conducted an investigation into alleged anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-American bias within the city’s public schools in October 2024.
The findings stated that they did not protect teachers and students from discrimination, the presence of implicitly and explicitly biased material in education and curriculum development, and the atmosphere of political activity in schools that “developed division.”
Trump Education Department launches investigation into “anti-Semitism explosion” at five universities
Anti-Israel protesters stand outside Susan E. Wagner High School on Staten Island. (Ary Weiss/Staten Island Shomrim)
Several sources who spoke to Fox News Digital pointed out the anti-Semitic vibe at Susan E. Wagner High School on Staten Island, which was the subject of the Fox News digital report last spring.
New York City Council member David Kerr told Fox News Digital that many parents of Susan E. Wagner students contacted him with concerns about the on-screen display at the school’s international festival in January. Kerr said the event is usually a “great celebration” by the school’s “incredibly diverse student groups,” but this year there were people screaming “free Palestine” when Israeli student clubs finished three performances.
Carr said additional anti-Semitic remarks were made before students took the stage during their final performance. Kerr said the audience was “escorted from the venue and … banned from returning for future events.”
A student at Susan E. Wagner High School, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FoxNews Digital that she was taken from a building called “smelling Jews” as an Israeli club dancer, told FoxNews Digital. The students were not aware of the impact of audience members, but they said school staff apologized to audience members while escorting them from the facility.
Leo Terrell (Christian Monterosa/Bloomberg by Getty Images)
“We’re talking to school leadership and we’re going to talk again, with the goal of creating an atmosphere that everyone feels comfortable with,” Carr said. He added, “It clearly needs to be a continuous conversation.”
“It’s unacceptable that students are exposed to hate speech,” Kerr said. “I think anti-Semitism is the most harmful form of hatred in human history,” he explained. “Every time you raise an ugly head you need to stand up.”
A student at Susan E. Wagner, who shared concerns with Fox News Digital, said that not only did the students endure hate speech at school, but that multiple staff members were wearing pro-Palestinian equipment. Some teachers were discriminatory “nothing” while students said, “You still know what they think.”
Experts are a non-action plan to combat anti-Semitism: “The futile fake movement”
Wagner administrators are also said to be involved in programming that promotes a one-sided interpretation of the Israeli-Gaza conflict. In April 2024, the Wagner Arab Students Association posted on Instagram that it hosted “Survivors of Gaza’s ongoing Genocide” and hosted the attendance of teachers and principal David Kugini.
The student said in an environment of anti-Israel sentiment.”[N]Obody wants to say anything. That’s what the school did. These kids show that no matter what you do… Jewish children are just at the bottom of the food chain. ”
Fox News Digital has obtained a photo of the Pro Hamas slogan “Free Palestine,” scribbled on a blackboard of a teacher at Susan E. Wagner High School. (Fox News Digital)
Part of this silencing also appears to involve misunderstandings of reported cases of anti-Semitic hatred.
The New York City Public School Alliance showed that Fox News Digital Five New York City School Occurrence Reports described anti-Israel or anti-Semitic hate acts reported by staff and students from various public schools. Each was recorded as not bias-related.
Fox News Digital asked interim directors Roderick Parton and Kugini about many of the aforementioned cases, how to document the anti-Semitic events, and whether Jewish students have a safe learning environment at Susan E. Wagner High School. They didn’t respond.
A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education spokesperson told Fox News Digital that New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) is “involving training and workshops to promote respectful and empathetic classroom conversations on challenging topics. A spokesman said, “Our hidden voice curriculum resources highlight the diverse communities and experiences of New Yorkers, including the AAPI community, the LGBTQ community, Americans with disabilities, and the global African diaspora. To meet this moment across our city, we are now expanding hidden voices, including Jewish American and Muslim communities.”
The NYCPS Alliance Report cites a hidden voice curriculum that includes lessons that “emphasize resistance to colonialism, oppression and alienation.” According to the report, “The tendency to present incomplete or one-sided narratives may contribute to a biased worldview and may promote a hostile learning environment for Jewish students. These materials raise concerns about whether schools fulfill their obligation to provide a comprehensive environment for all students without harassment.”
Israeli supporters hold signs during Israel’s march at the National Mall in Washington on November 14, 2023 (via Getty Images via Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/Lightrocket)
According to a school spokesman,[R]A lively bias incident at our school [are] The spokesman explained, “We are working closely with this school to ensure that reports of anti-Semitism or other biases will be investigated promptly and that we will impose consequences on violations of our policies so that all students feel safe and respected in the school.”
Feldman questioned the findings. “I think it’s interesting how they can rate them. [a] If you don’t properly record an incident of Jewish hatred, 46% decreases. They don’t even document it as a biased case,” she told Fox News Digital.
Feldman also expressed the alarm in the environment of Susan E. Wagner. There, administrators are “witnesses of indoctrination and twists in history” and “terror, threat, [and] A silent tactic that allows an incident to be “unreported” or unresolved.”
“These kids are being led poorly by their schools. They are not supported. They feel marginalized. They feel threatened,” she said. “It’s now manifesting as anti-Semitism,” Feldman warned that anti-Semitic prejudice is “an alarm system. It’s a warning sign that something is rotten in society.”
Terrell pointed to some upcoming changes that would protect Jewish students and teachers who feel they are not being heard in their schools. These include “complain numbers that come directly to the task force” for victims of anti-Semitism bias.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“Help is ongoing,” Terrell said.
Fox News Digital contacted New York City Mayor Eric Adams about the anti-Semitic vibe in the city’s public schools, but there was no reply.
Beth Bailey is a reporter covering Afghanistan, the Middle East, Asia and Central America. She was previously a civil intelligence news analyst at the Department of the War. You can follow Beth on Twitter @bwbailey85
Source link
