Jewish families across the United States are approaching the new school year with a worry that extends well beyond new shoes and school supplies: whether their children will be safe because they are Jewish. Advocates say the classroom, long seen as a place where children learn where they fit into society and whether the adults around them will protect them, has increasingly become a source of anxiety as antisemitic threats and violence rise.
In New York City, police data show antisemitic hate crimes increased by 8.5% in the first seven months of 2026, and anti-Jewish incidents made up the majority of all hate crimes reported in the city even though Jewish residents account for about a tenth of the population. Nationally, FBI statistics show that while Jewish Americans make up roughly 2% of the U.S. population, they were victims of 16% of all reported hate crimes and nearly 70% of all religion-based hate crimes. About 10% of those crimes occurred in schools.
The trend in education is especially stark. Antisemitic incidents at K-12 schools have risen 434% since 2020, leaving many families wondering whether school administrators are prepared to protect Jewish students and whether incidents will be treated as serious threats rather than isolated misconduct.
Online platforms are also part of the problem. Research has found that 74% of Americans who encountered antisemitism saw or heard it online or on social media, and two-thirds of Jewish adults who experienced antisemitism did not report it because they believed nothing would be done. Students often carry what they see online into their real lives, and a culture that tolerates digital hate can eventually show up at the school locker, the bus stop and the classroom.
The U.S. Department of Education has reminded schools that federal civil rights law protects Jewish students. In a letter, the department said Title VI protects all students, including those who are or are perceived to be Jewish, from discrimination, and that schools must take immediate and appropriate action to respond to harassment that creates a hostile environment. Advocates say administrators should state plainly that antisemitism is unacceptable, whether it appears as a threat, a slur, a swastika, harassment over Jewish identity or intimidation tied to Israel or Zionism.
Education, they argue, cannot be reduced to a one-off assembly after an incident. Students should learn what antisemitism is, how it mutates across political movements, conspiracy theories and social media trends, and why targeting Jews corrodes civic life for everyone. Schools should also coordinate with law enforcement before a crisis occurs, developing clear plans for reporting threats, preserving evidence, communicating with families and protecting targeted students.
The financial burden of safety is already heavy for Jewish schools. Teach Coalition, a Jewish education advocacy group, estimates that Jewish schools spend more than $400,000 a year on security, or more than $1,000 per student. Those costs, advocates say, divert resources from teachers, scholarships, mental health services and academic programs.
Federal help has not kept pace with the threat. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Nonprofit Security Grant Program provided $274.5 million for security measures last year, but only 27% of applications submitted in 2025 were approved. Advocates are calling on Congress to quadruple the program's funding to $1 billion and to make the application process faster and more predictable.
The response, however, cannot rest on schools and security budgets alone. School boards, governors, mayors, clergy, union leaders, parent associations and cultural figures all help shape the norms children absorb. A whole-of-society response would combine better education, stronger security, lawful accountability, responsible technology and a clear moral message: Jewish students should never have to hide who they are in order to learn.
