New York educational institutions have seen more than a year of anti-Israel activists campaigning to condition Jewish identity in public life — whether pressuring their Jewish peers to denounce Zionism or comparing them to Nazis.
As a former educator, it’s evident that there’s much work needed to adequately address the unprecedented rise in antisemitism plaguing our schools and society. Tackling antisemitism in New York head-on requires a two-pronged approach: proactive Title VI enforcement at the college level, and comprehensive K-12 education.
So far, authorities have mainly offered boilerplate condemnations of anti-Jewish hate without substantive accountability. But younger generations need to see bias addressed with decisive action, otherwise we risk desensitizing them to hate.
Educators have long relied on Holocaust curricula to combat antisemitism. While the Holocaust is an essential part of Jewish history, Holocaust education isn’t the entire answer — not when college students weaponize that history against Israel and the Jewish people. On this Holocaust Remembrance Week, it’s time to commit to more: starting with Title VI.
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act bans discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. After expansion under the Biden administration, it now protects against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of ancestry-based religious discrimination. The surge in Title VI university complaints this past year demonstrates the urgent need for stronger enforcement mechanisms.
Students should be free to choose schools based solely on academic excellence rather than safety concerns, which is why every institution needs a dedicated coordinator to provide training, establish reporting structures, investigate incidents, and ensure transparent resolution.
NYU has done exactly that, while updating their Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policy which explicitly prohibits excluding Zionists from open events, applying “anti-Zionist litmus tests” for participation in NYU activities, using or disseminating harmful stereotypes, harassing peers based on their perceived/actual Jewish or Israeli identity, and minimizing or denying the Holocaust.
This is the gold standard, yet students lacking the foundational knowledge to understand why such conduct is offensive may struggle to accept it. If 47% of students chanting eliminationist rhetoric like “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free,” can’t pinpoint either body of water, there’s an obvious gap in K-12 education.
That gap was on full display last November, when I visited Hillcrest High School after students targeted a Jewish teacher for expressing solidarity with Israel on social media after Oct. 7. Hundreds of students sent her online threats, rioted in the halls, and attempted to break into her classroom.
After personally speaking with students, their remorse revealed that ignorance, rather than malice, was the culprit. They confessed that TikTok was their primary source for Jewish history — an indictment of our education system.
Despite hosting the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, New York’s only Jewish history requirement for K-12 public schools is a loosely defined Holocaust education mandate. This is an essential part of our history, particularly given that 19% of Gen Z and Millennial New Yorkers believe Jews caused the Holocaust, and one in five Americans believe the Holocaust is a myth. But it’s only a fraction of the 3,000-plus year Jewish experience, depriving students of the context to grasp current events — particularly surrounding the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.
The New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) is developing resources about Jewish Americans through the Hidden Voices program, expected in September 2025. But these resources aren’t mandatory.
New York needs a comprehensive Jewish education curriculum. Last year, NYCPS launched a pilot citywide program for 120 schools to implement a new Black Studies curriculum. With dedicated funding I helped secure as former chair of the City Council Committee on Education, the Education Equity Action Plan (EEAP) — a group of nonprofits, educators, government officials, academic experts, and NYCPS staff — developed an age-appropriate Black Studies curriculum.
The curriculum covers ongoing systemic racism, African-American history, early and contemporary African societies, and the achievements of people of the African diaspora. Its success shows us exactly how to proceed: dedicated funding, expert guidance, and systematic implementation of Jewish studies education.
New York’s students deserve decisive action and funding to implement comprehensive K-12 curricula that address contemporary bias and build understanding. Without this investment, today’s campus turmoil may evolve from a temporary crisis to a generational failure.
Treyger is the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.