An explosion of antisemitism on college campuses has been clear for all to see since October 7, 2023, when the terror group Hamas murdered over 1,200 Israeli citizens in cold blood. Encampments and protests glorifying Hamas and its atrocities were widely publicized, shocking both Jews and non-Jews. But not so widely discussed is the marked increase in antisemitism in American high schools. Adam Milstein, a Los Angeles-based venture philanthropist and advocate for Jewish causes, has been sounding the alarm on this troubling trend and offering strategic solutions.
The Scope of the Problem
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a 135% increase in antisemitic incidents in both public and private K-12 schools from 2022 to 2023. This alarming statistic underscores a problem that Milstein believes deserves more attention from the Jewish community and educational authorities.
“Most antisemitic attacks on Jewish students go unreported,” Milstein points out in his writings. He notes that teenagers are “particularly impressionable, deeply affected by social dynamics of their peers”.
Milstein, co-founder of the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, has been tracking incidents of antisemitism in high schools for years. His foundation, established in 2000, supports a network of nonprofits that strengthen American values, support the U.S.-Israel alliance, and combat hatred and bigotry in all forms.
Case Studies of High School Antisemitism
Milstein has reported on numerous incidents that illustrate the pervasiveness of antisemitism in American high schools. One such incident occurred in a Tempe, Arizona middle school in the 2018-2019 school year. A federal investigation found that the school had violated a Jewish student’s civil rights “when she was forced to endure repeated antisemitic harassment in class. Nine students harassed and called her antisemitic names, in addition to making frequent jokes about the Holocaust”.
More recently, in a Wisconsin high school, swastikas were drawn on school property. When a teacher engaged with students about the incident, many students suggested that the swastikas were being drawn by kids who “are trying to be funny” or “don’t understand what swastikas mean.” Even more troubling, one senior actually accused Jewish students of drawing the swastikas themselves, perpetuating dangerous antisemitic myths.
These incidents represent just a small fraction of the antisemitic harassment that Jewish students face in high schools across America. Milstein argues that the full scale of the problem remains hidden because many incidents go unreported due to fear of retaliation, administrative indifference, or students’ desire to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
Sources and Drivers of High School Antisemitism
According to Milstein, antisemitism in high schools stems from several interconnected sources. Social media plays a major role, as platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and others have become breeding grounds for antisemitic content that reaches impressionable teenagers.
“Teenagers are particularly impressionable, deeply affected by social dynamics of their peers,” Milstein writes. Social media is a huge source of information and entertainment for high school students, and all the major platforms have become rife with antisemitic content, so it’s no wonder antisemitic narratives become prevalent among high schoolers.
Equally concerning is the influence of teachers and school administrators who either turn a blind eye to antisemitism or, in some cases, actively promote anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives. Milstein cites instances where “administrators routinely dismissed the idea of punishing the culprits of the swastika drawings if they were ever identified,” despite clear school policies against such hate speech.
In some cases, the problem goes beyond mere indifference. Milstein reports that “parents of students, even in prestigious private schools, are often hesitant and afraid to speak out against school authorities.” He cites an incident in which a Jewish parent questioned his daughter’s elite Brentwood school in Los Angeles for “holding racially segregated meetings and encouraging students to treat Jews as ‘oppressors.'” Rather than address the parent’s concerns, the administration expelled his daughter “by preventing her from returning the following school year”..
The Influence of Progressive Ideologies
Milstein has written extensively about how progressive ideological frameworks like Critical Race Theory (CRT), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and intersectionality contribute to antisemitism in educational settings. These frameworks, often packaged as “Ethnic Studies” in high school curricula, can promote a worldview that categorizes people as either oppressors or oppressed.
In an article for The Jerusalem Post from March 2023, Milstein explained why these ideologies are such a threat to Jews and other faith-based communities. While the ideas behind frameworks like intersectionality and CRT, such as raising up oppressed peoples, are positive in theory, in practice they “[erode] the core principles that make our country exceptional, such as America’s commitment to individual rights and equality, rule of law, tolerance, pluralism, due process, freedom of speech, and free-market capitalism”.
This is because these frameworks classify people based on race and identity groups, promoting an “us” versus “them” mentality that “puts ‘victimhood’ at the center” of politics. Milstein feels that the greatest targets of CRT are faith-based communities – Jews, Christians, and all those “whose values fall outside the CRT framework.” CRT effectively brands all of Christianity and all of Judaism as “oppressive institutions that need to be radically remade if not dismantled” because of purported wrongs committed against so-called oppressed peoples.
A push for mandatory ethnic studies in California was met with criticism for its antisemitic bent. While Palestine and Arab American studies were seen as integral to ethnic studies, Jewish American Studies was seen as “racist.” StandWithUs, an organization supported by Milstein’s foundation, reports that this curriculum “covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other issues in a way that actively silences Jewish perspectives”.
Strategic Solutions: Milstein’s Five-Point Approach
Milstein has developed a comprehensive approach to combat antisemitism in high schools, which includes five key strategies:
1. Education and Awareness
While Holocaust education is important, Adam Milstein argues that it alone is insufficient. “Despite the robust Holocaust education in the curriculum, swastikas kept appearing in the bathrooms at [his] school,” reported one teacher. Milstein suggests that students need to learn about contemporary antisemitism, not just historical antisemitism.
2. Empowering Students and Parents
Milstein advocates for empowering both students and parents to document and report antisemitic incidents. His foundation supports organizations like StandWithUs, which works with teens on their high school campuses and empowers them to educate their peers about Israel and combat antisemitism.
He recommends having “attorneys ready to take action if necessary to uphold [students’ civil] rights,” recognizing that legal action or the threat thereof can be necessary when schools fail to address antisemitism appropriately.
3. Holding Educators Accountable
Milstein believes teachers and administrators must be educated about antisemitism and held accountable for how they respond to incidents in their schools. He supports initiatives that provide training for educators on recognizing and addressing antisemitism.
Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of challenging curricula that promote antisemitic narratives or silence Jewish perspectives. His foundation actively supports efforts to monitor and critique ethnic studies curricula that exhibit anti-Israel or antisemitic bias.
4. Building Coalitions
A key element of Milstein’s approach involves building coalitions with other groups facing discrimination or concerned about the quality of education. He recognizes that antisemitism often accompanies other forms of bigotry and that addressing it effectively requires broad support.
“The Jewish community should work holistically with common allies left and right of center across the entire spectrum,” Milstein wrote in The Jerusalem Post in December 2024. This practical approach stems from his belief that fighting antisemitism requires broad support, transcending partisan divisions.
5. Media and Public Awareness
Finally, Milstein emphasizes the importance of raising public awareness about antisemitism in high schools. His own writings in publications like The Jerusalem Post help bring attention to this issue, and his foundation supports organizations that monitor and report on antisemitic incidents in educational settings.
By raising public awareness, Milstein aims to create pressure on schools and educational authorities to take antisemitism seriously and implement effective policies to address it.
The Importance of Addressing High School Antisemitism
Milstein emphasizes that combating antisemitism in high schools is not just about protecting Jewish students, though that would be reason enough. He sees this work as essential for several broader reasons:
First, high school students are at a formative stage in their development. The attitudes and beliefs they form during these years often persist into adulthood. Addressing antisemitism early can prevent it from becoming deeply ingrained.
Second, high schools are training grounds for future college students. The antisemitism we now see on college campuses often has roots in attitudes and ideas that students developed in high school. By addressing the problem earlier, we may be able to reduce antisemitism at higher educational levels as well.
Finally, Milstein views antisemitism as a threat not just to Jews but to the core values of American society. “Such antisemitism is not just a danger to American Jews, but to all Americans” as it threatens our freedoms of speech and religion as well as democracy itself, he argues. “It is a harbinger of violence and extremism that will affect all Americans”.
Looking Forward
Milstein’s work on antisemitism in high schools reflects his broader approach to philanthropy and advocacy: strategic, proactive, and focused on long-term solutions rather than merely reactive responses.
“It is far past time that we make safeguarding our youth a much higher priority,” Milstein concludes. By raising awareness about antisemitism in high schools, supporting effective educational initiatives, empowering students and parents, and holding educational institutions accountable, he aims to create safer and more inclusive learning environments for Jewish students while also addressing the root causes of antisemitism in American society.
Through the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation and his advocacy work, Milstein continues to support organizations and initiatives that combat antisemitism in educational settings, reflecting his commitment to both protecting Jewish students today and building a more tolerant society for tomorrow.
