Jewish high schoolers fight hate with community support, face narrowing prospects for collegiate future

The antisemitic hatred rising around the country in the 14 months following Hamas’ terror attack on Israel has not only affected college students, but is also taking a toll on kids from kindergarten through high school.

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is responsible for resolving complaints of discrimination on the basis of shared ancestry, which includes allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia, in schools receiving federal funds. A Department of Education spokesperson told Fox News Digital that OCR "has opened 159 shared ancestry cases involving K-12 schools, colleges, and universities for investigation" since Oct. 7, 2023. In the preceding four years, the OCR opened a total of 28 shared ancestry cases.

In the face of rising K-12 antisemitism, Jewish Student Union National Director Devora Simon told Fox News Digital that an additional 4,000 teenage students in search of "meaningful community and authentic connection" have sought out JSU clubs in their schools, leading to the addition of 125 JSU clubs nationwide during the 2023-2024 school year. 

Simon said this "unprecedented demand for Jewish engagement reflects [students’] deep desire to belong, find strength in each other, and explore their identity." She said the JSU has provided "a safe space and unwavering support as [students] navigate these challenges and build a vibrant, supportive community." 

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Anti-Israel protests erupted at UCLA on Monday, May 6, 2024, with police arresting multiple people who gathered in a campus parking garage. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Speaking under the condition of anonymity due to fear of being targeted, Fox News Digital spoke to three Jewish teens involved with the group about how antisemitism has impacted their high school experiences. The teens also noted how antisemitism at universities has shifted their collegiate priorities. 

Current high-school junior, Sarah was the president of her school's Jewish Student Union (JSU) when Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack took place. She witnessed the student group shrink from 15 to just six members due to the hatred attendees faced at her high school. When Sarah and other Jewish students went to the school’s administration with their concerns, Sarah said they "basically told [us] we were playing the victim." 

After Sarah and her friends took their worries to local politicians, they began to find support. Today, Sarah’s JSU has almost 30 members and a robust group of teachers who help Jewish students celebrate their religion and manage troubling incidents. "We built a whole family from the horrible stuff that has happened to us," Sarah said. 

News about collegiate antisemitism, however, gives Sarah concern. She expected that her excellent grades would help her secure admission at an Ivy League school. "It’s almost indescribable," Sarah said. "My whole life, I’ve been thinking ‘maybe Columbia, maybe Harvard.'" Now, she said, "I’m not even applying to Ivies." 

Student protesters march around their encampment on the Columbia University campus, April 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

"I can’t even put into words how what I’m seeing is real," Sarah explained. "You would have never thought that the stuff your grandparents warned you about, you’d be facing right now." 

Mother of two, Yael Levin, says her sons have faced "absolutely zero" hate within their high school. She says it is "very unsettling" to know that her sons will leave that "very protective place" and become adults "in a world that’s very hostile to Jews." 

Levin’s academic considerations have taken second place to finding campuses that have a thriving Chabad and Hillel, organizations that provide support for Jewish students. 

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Anti-Israel protesters gather at the gates of Columbia University in New York City on April 30, 2024. (Reuters/David Dee Delgado)

Unfortunately, Levin says that most of the in-state Virginia schools Levin once hoped her sons would attend for college are off the table. "UVA has become a Hamas campground," Levin claimed. She also said that Virginia Tech, George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University are "not an option," given anti-Israel events that have transpired on their campuses.

"I should not have to worry about my child’s safety because he’s Jewish," Levin said.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s press secretary, Christian Martinez, responded to Levin’s concerns, telling Fox News Digital, "Virginia’s college campuses are safe for Jewish students." Martinez said the governor "has consistently made it clear that antisemitism has no place in Virginia, and that the safety of students on our college campuses is a top priority. 

"Since his first day in office, Gov. Youngkin has taken decisive action to protect all Virginians from discrimination, hate crimes and antisemitism. This included swiftly addressing pro-Palestine protests that threatened student safety on campus, as well as implementing statewide law enforcement training to better assess and respond to threats against Jewish communities."

Anti-Israel protesters at the University of Virginia hold a Palestinian flag on the campus, May 4, 2024, in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Eze Amos/Getty Images)

Martinez added that Youngkin’s "efforts led to investigations into members of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at George Mason University, further demonstrating the Governor’s commitment to protect not only Jewish students but also all Virginians."

Rachel and Erica are sophomores at a school where student activism is a popular mode of expression. Both teens separately described similar environments of pro-Palestinian fervor that left them feeling ostracized, particularly when older students with no cultural ties to the Palestinians began to don keffiyehs and accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. 

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Anti-Israel protesters stand outside Susan E. Wagner High School in Staten Island. (Ary Weiss/Staten Island Shomrim)

Teachers attempted to respond to tensions in the school by promoting a two-week study on the history of the conflict. Rachel reported that the course "didn’t give any good context." 

Both Erica and Rachel told Fox News Digital about experiencing intolerance from students. Rachel says she has lost friends over her connection to Israel, and even had to report an activist teacher who was pushing anti-Israel sentiments in class. She said it is especially painful to recognize that while other students are allowed to take pride in their heritage, "I don’t feel comfortable talking about Israel or saying I’m from Israel." 

It was not until Erica gathered with other Jewish students to speak with a guidance counselor about their experiences that she understood how deeply antisemitic hate was impacting her fellow Jewish students. To respond to the hatred, Erica reached out to the JSU and helped to found a club in her school. Now, she says that weekly events attended by both Jewish and non-Jewish students have fostered "a sense of community and a sense of acceptance." 

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Both Erica and Rachel are looking with trepidation toward their collegiate futures. Rachel said she worries about how colleges will respond to the activism for Israel that she plans to feature in her application. "I’m definitely aiming for an Ivy League," she said, but worries she "would not feel safe going" to the schools she once hoped to attend. 

Erica had dreams of going to college in Boston. "When I speak to my mom about it, it’s always, ‘We’ll see,’" she said. "It’s crazy to think about that when you are applying to college, you can’t only look at how the campus is, how the classes are, what majors you like. You also have to think" about antisemitism, Erica said.