Five Major Jewish Groups Launch a ‘Jewish Students’ Bill of Rights’ for North American Schools

Five major Jewish organizations launched a “Jewish Students’ Bill of Rights” on Wednesday, September 9, calling on schools across North America to adopt new standards for combating antisemitism and protecting Jewish students. The initiative was released by the Jewish Federations of North America, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and StandWithUs as students return to school following years of elevated antisemitism.

The document calls on schools and districts to take six steps, including training educators to recognize antisemitism, establishing clear systems for reporting incidents, and ensuring that teaching about Jews, the Holocaust, antisemitism, and Israel is accurate. It also asks schools to protect students who express their Jewish identity or connection to Israel, and to ensure that teachers present disputed political issues in a balanced manner rather than using classrooms to promote a particular political position.

The initiative comes as antisemitic incidents in US K-12 schools have remained stubbornly high even as the overall number of incidents declined. The ADL’s 2025 audit recorded 825 incidents at non-Jewish K-12 schools, compared with 860 the previous year, while antisemitic incidents across the United States as a whole fell 33% to 6,274 in 2025 from 9,354 in 2024. “No child should have to choose between their education and their identity,” Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut said. (JPost/VFI News)

“All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace.” – Isaiah 54:13