Brandeis Center/ADL File Federal Complaint Against Berkeley K-12 Schools For "Severe and Persistent" Antisemitic Bullying
Press Release
Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2024: The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) for failing to take action to end nonstop bullying and harassment of Jewish students by peers and teachers since Oct. 7. According to the complaint, Berkeley administrators have ignored parent reports and…
Teach students about this history of Barbie, reflect on their own experiences with Barbie and consider what identity groups may be missing from Barbie's collection.
Teach students about data from Pew's survey about teens and social media, help them reflect on their own social media use and explore how race, gender and socioeconomic status impact online use.
The State of Play on Campus: A Disturbing Rise in Antisemitism that Demands a Full Scale Response
Article
The Jewish community faced unthinkable tragedy on October 7th, when the terrorist group Hamas committed mass atrocities against thousands of Israelis, including murder, torture, dismemberment and rape. As the global Jewish community mourns our collective trauma, one could imagine a world in which Jewish students were comforted on campus with supportive words, candlelight vigils, and an understanding community mobilizing to support their needs. Instead, increasing numbers of Jewish students…
When ‘Just Joking’ Is No Joke: How to Respond When Students’ ‘Jokes’ are Biased or Offensive
Tools and Strategies
There are many benefits to humor. A good joke can ease tension in a stressful situation. Humor can connect people and bring them together. Jokes can bring levity to a situation that begs for lightheartedness. Being funny can signal to others who you are. Humor can even open a conversation that previously felt closed or off-limits. However, jokes and humor, when they target social identity groups, can do the opposite. They can make people feel unsafe, disconnected, excluded and…
UAE Launches Manara Center to Promote Regional Co-Existence
Press Release
Center in Abu Dhabi will focus on promoting education and inclusive acceptance in the region
Established with ADL as flagship partner to develop impactful research, education, and outreach programs
Abu Dhabi, UAE – March 14, 2023 – Today the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced the formation of the Manara Center -- The Regional Center for Coexistence. Based in Abu Dhabi and named after the Arabic word that means source of light, the Manara Center will support core UAE…
Teach students about what gossip and rumors are and the impact they have on others, especially those identity groups which may be more vulnerable to and marginalized by rumors and gossip.
Moroccan Textbooks Teach Appreciation of Jewish Life and Tolerance in the Kingdom
Article
By Carole Nuriel and Aykan Erdemir
An examination of textbooks used in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades of Moroccan state schools during the 2021-2022 school year indicate that tolerance and diversity are core to the curriculum promoted across Moroccan society. The excerpts on Judaism and Jews that Morocco’s Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training provided to ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) show that the country’s elementary school textbooks depict Jews as an…
Scapegoating of Jews for the 1969 Al-Aqsa Arson Continued as Usual in 2022
Article
August 21 marked the 53rd anniversary of the 1969 al-Aqsa Mosque arson and the ongoing disinformation campaigns scapegoating Jews and Israel for the attack. Although Israeli authorities promptly arrested, tried, and convicted the culprit, Denis Michael Rohan – a Protestant extremist from Australia who believed his actions would prompt the Second Coming of Jesus – Middle Eastern outlets have been publishing inaccurate reports of the event to this day. In a blog published last month,…
Middle Eastern Media Needs to Stop Blaming Jews for the 1969 Al-Aqsa Arson
Article
August 21 marks the 53rd anniversary of a terrible attack against an Islamic holy site, when a Protestant extremist from Australia named Denis Michael Rohan set fire to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, destroying large parts of the site and irreplaceable artifacts.
Rohan’s crime should rightly be widely condemned and the loss commemorated even five-plus decades later. It is important to note that Rohan, who believed his actions would prompt the Second Coming of Jesus, was…
ADL Task Force on Middle East Minorities Condemns Raids in Iran Targeting Baha’i Community
Press Release
New York, NY, August 5, 2022 … ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Task Force on Middle East Minorities released the following statement in response to the intensified campaign by the Iranian regime targeting Iran’s Baha’i minority: “We condemn the recent attacks targeting Iran’s vulnerable Baha’i community, and the July 31 statement by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence which alleged that Baha'is are spies for foreign countries. This is part of the Islamic…
9 Ideas for Teaching Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Lesson Plan
Use these activities to bring the history, culture and experience of the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) people and community to your classroom.
Use the short evocative videos and films in this lesson plan to engage young people in conversations about identity, diversity, bias and social justice.
Short Online Experience to Learn about this Core Topic For Educators | Middle School, High School
About the Mini-Lesson
Only a small portion of an iceberg can be seen above the waterline. Similarly, understanding someone's identity is limited by what we see on the surface. This mini lesson explores the concept of identity and the importance of going "below the waterline" to challenge and avoid stereotypes and identity-based bias.
ADL's mini-lessons are short, interactive, online…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language
SEL STANDARDS*: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making 7-Year-Old Morgan Bugg Advocates for More Diversity in Avatars
In April 2021, seven-year-old Morgan Bugg of Tennessee was using an educational gaming app called Freckle, which is used by more than 900,000 teachers in the U.S. This app gives students a chance to win coins while…
Echoes & Reflections is a leading provider of free Holocaust education resources and professional development for the middle and high school classroom. We help educators to teach about the Holocaust accurately and with confidence. Our goal is to enhance students' historical knowledge, critical thinking, and personal understanding of this history. GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening This unit introduces students…