Israeli Federation worked in schools against anti-Semitism – 03/12/2024 – Education

The Israeli Federation of São Paulo set up a working group to work in private schools following an increase in cases of anti-Semitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The entity says it has already been activated by five units in the capital of São Paulo, including the Beacon School, in Alto de Pinheiros (west zone).

As shown by the Sheet, the school has been under pressure from a group of parents to take stronger action against six 15-year-old students who allegedly offended a classmate who is from a Jewish family. The school management suspended the students for two days and opened an investigation to investigate the case.

The students had been drawing swastikas in the boy’s notebooks for at least two weeks and giving the Nazi salute when he entered the classroom. They also reproduced the anthem of the Hitler Youth, a group of young people from Adolf Hitler’s party in Germany.

Some of the Beacon families defend the adoption of harsher punishments and recalled, for example, the case of the Porto Seguro school in Valinhos, which expelled eight students who created a WhatsApp group entitled “Fundação Anti Petismo”, where they shared racist messages , homophobic, Nazi and fatphobic.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first case at school in which we have had to act. We are very sorry, but this is a reflection of what happens in society. These students reproduce the hate speech they hear outside the school walls”, he says Marcos Knobel, president of the federation.

In addition to punishing students, the management of Beacon School sought out the federation to help develop educational activities for the school community. Knobel argues that education and awareness are the way to deal with discrimination.

“Some people argue that students should be expelled in cases like this. But does punishment address the basic cause of violence? I believe that subjecting children and adolescents to periodic studies on the subject is much more effective,” he says.

About two years ago, the federation created a group of educators to work in schools that register cases of anti-Semitism. In addition to lectures and classes on Nazism, they promote meetings with Holocaust survivors and visits to the Jewish Museum of São Paulo and the Jewish Immigration and Holocaust Memorial.

The entity also defends that educational actions are not only carried out for students, but also aimed at families. “It’s not just children and young people who don’t understand the gravity of Nazism and the Holocaust. Many adults don’t know either, many parents don’t realize how serious this hate speech is and don’t act to prevent their children from using it. propagate,” says Knobel.

Jacques Griffel, director of the Israeli Federation’s education commission, says he has already received reports of anti-Semitic insults even from young children.

“In these cases we understand that the children are in fact not aware of what they are saying, they are just reproducing a speech they heard at home. But, with 15-year-old teenagers, I don’t believe they didn’t know about the violence they were causing, maybe they just don’t understand the offensive gravity”, says Griffel. For him, there is a gap in Brazilian education to deal with sensitive and important topics, such as Nazism.

Regarding last week’s case, Beacon School said it acted quickly in the face of any discriminatory situation.

“Investigating the facts in detail and firmly, applying the appropriate sanctions, always encouraging reflection to stimulate learning with the aim of forming ethical, conscious citizens committed to building a more peaceful and egalitarian society”, said the school, in note.