OPINION: Fighting antisemitism starts with empowering young people

It’s a sad fact that antisemitism today arises as much from ignorance as from hatred. Too many people who hold and express antisemitic beliefs and attitudes have never met a Jewish person or learnt what Judaism really means. Many will have formed those attitudes as children – some from family members, some from schoolfriends, some from the internet.

Even if they picked up these antisemitic beliefs by accident, it doesn’t make the impact any less damaging, either for the individual Jews on the receiving end or for wider society. And antisemitism among young people is growing – the Community Security Trust reports that children are increasingly likely to be both victims and perpetrators of antisemitism.

That’s why we need high-quality, well-targeted, well-delivered education about antisemitism: how it manifests, why it is wrong and dangerous, and how to fight it wherever it appears.

I recently attended a conference on addressing antisemitism in and through education. We discussed how in 2020, even as the first wave of COVID devastated the UK – when it was disproportionately affecting the Jewish community – there were antisemitic conspiracy theories about its origins being shared on social media.

Antisemitic content is easy to create and share, and the algorithmic nature of social media means that, once someone has engaged with one example, they will often see more and more of it. It is hard to track and remove and like a hydra, when we chop off one head, two more take its place.

That’s why it’s not enough for us to continue to monitor and call out antisemitism – but governments and educators have their own role to play by proactively addressing antisemitism through education and building students’ resilience to prejudice, stereotypes and antisemitism. We must equip young people with tools to recognise and fight antisemitic tropes. We need to empower intelligent, sensitive learners who  think critically about ideas and situations they encounter both during and after they’ve left education.

This focus on antisemitism in and through education is a positive move, and there are clear steps we can take on what must be a long-term commitment. Firstly, antisemitism must be on the national curriculum – not only through education about the Holocaust, but also considering contemporary anti-Jewish hatred, both from the far-left and far-right.

And our universities must not only adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism with all its examples – the gold standard for identifying and calling out antisemitic attitudes, but demonstrate how they are using it as a guide to interpreting and understanding antisemitism on campus.

At the Board of Deputies, we’re committed to campaigning for these changes – but we’re also taking action at the coal face of educating against antisemitism. Our schools roadshow travels around the UK, teaching children aged 7-11 about Jewish life and Judaism. And to further embrace the use of technology and present this content in an engaging way, we are working with the Anti-Defamation League on a Jewish digital toolkit for use in schools.

The best remedies against hatred are familiarity and community: and that’s also why our relationships with interfaith partners are so important, helping us to reach out to people from different backgrounds, share common experiences, and address stereotypes and falsehoods.

We’re proud to work with our communal partners on all of this, and I’m grateful to Lord Mann, UNESCO, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education for arranging the recent conference, for the experience that was shared and the changes that will take place as a result.

Let’s not lose momentum – let’s keep pushing for the education reforms which will empower a new generation of students to stand up against hatred.

Amanda Bowman is Vice President of the Board of Deputies