There were a concerning number of anti-Semitic incidents among local high school students in 2015, according to the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
“As far as we’ve come, anti-Semitism continues to show its face in Wisconsin and in the United States,” said Michael Pollack, Council chair. “In these days of nasty political rhetoric, people are falling back on ethnic- and faith-based bigotry intolerance. We must be better than that.”
The Council recently completed its 2015 audit, showing a preponderance of anti-Semitic incidents among high school students. The audit also reports anti-Semitism at the college level and beyond the educational system.
“We are particularly concerned about the disproportionate number of reported incidents in schools,” said Ann Jacobs, chair of the Council’s Anti-Semitism and Constitutional Law Task Force. “It’s clear that we need to do more to ensure that our children learn to embrace the richness of our diverse culture.”
Among the alleged incidents involving youth are:
· A series of incidents of bullying and harassment of a Jewish student at a suburban high school, including name-calling; a class discussion, with the teacher present, about the merits of killing Jews; vandalism on a locker used for his sports team; and a swastika placed in the family’s personal cooler during a school event.
· Threatening messages and swastikas sent via social media to fellow high school students on a predominantly Jewish sports team.
· A vandalism spree involving more than 30 instances of spray painting of hateful messages and property damage. High school students were identified and arrested for the crime.
· A voice mail message left at a Jewish facility by a high school student, saying, “You should have all been killed in the Holocaust.”
· A swastika etched into a desk in an elementary school.
All incidents have been corroborated and the audit does not include unconfirmed reports, according to the Council.
Other alleged incidents included Holocaust denial by an instructor at a local university, and multiple forms of written and verbal expression. The Council noted the continuation of religiously-motivated anti-Judaism, in which Jewish beliefs and Judaism itself are treated with contempt.
Though there has been significant improvement in inter-religious understanding in the last 50 years, in large part due to the 1965 Vatican II document Nostra Aetate, negative views of Jews and Judaism persist, according to a Council statement.
“When bigotry and discrimination against one people are permitted to go unchecked, all minorities are less safe,” said Council Director Elana Kahn. “The annual audit reminds us of the power of individuals to call out and stop discrimination and hatred, no matter who is its target.”
The Council encourages individuals and institutions to confidentially report all incidents. The Council monitors and responds to anti-Semitic incidents throughout the year. If you have any questions about the audit, or would like additional resources, contact Kahn at ElanaK@MilwaukeeJewish.org or 414-390-5736.
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