In February, Trump initiated a 90-day assessment of America's involvement in UNESCO, emphasizing the need to investigate any antisemitism or anti-Israel attitudes within the agency. Administration officials, during this evaluation, raised concerns over UNESCO's policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as its apparent pro-Palestinian and pro-Chinese leanings, a White House official told The New York Post.

"President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November," Deputy White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly stated to The New York Post. "This President will always put America First and ensure our country's membership in all international organizations aligns with our national interests."

 UNESCO's executive board has consistently pursued anti-Israel and anti-Jewish measures, such as classifying sites holy to Jews as "Palestinian world heritage" sites, according to a White House official. Moreover, UNESCO often employs language asserting that Palestine is "occupied" by Israel and denounces Israel's conflict with Hamas without addressing the terror group's oppressive rule in Gaza.

Trump previously directed the US to leave UNESCO in 2017, citing similar anti-Israel biases. The US rejoined in 2023 under former President Joe Biden, pledging to settle over 600 million dollars in membership fees. Israel also left the organization back then and has not rejoined.

In 1983, the US withdrew from the UN agency under former President Ronald Reagan, who noted that the organization "imposed foreign politics on nearly every issue it deals with. It showed hostility toward a free society, especially a free market and free press, and displayed unchecked budgetary growth."

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A comprehensive study has revealed that the BBC's coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict was markedly biased against Israel, with the British broadcaster reportedly violating its own "editorial guidelines" more than 1,500 times during the first four months of the war. The report, published in The Daily Telegraph, uncovers a pattern of disproportionate criticism of Israel compared to Hamas, raising serious concerns about the impartiality of one of the world's most influential news organizations. The findings were based on an analysis of the corporation's content across television, radio, internet, podcasts, and social media over a four-month period beginning October 7.

The study, led by British lawyer Trevor Asserson, found that Israel was linked to "genocide" 14 times more frequently than Hamas in the network's war coverage. On Saturday, Danny Cohen, a former senior BBC executive, warned of an "institutional crisis" at the British broadcasting authority and called for an independent investigation into the BBC's coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Two prominent Jewish organizations, the Campaign Against Antisemitism and the National Jewish Assembly, echoed the call for an independent review. Lord Ian Austin, a former Labour minister, accused the network of dismissing questions about its coverage with arrogance.

The report scrutinized the network's coverage over a four-month period starting October 7. A team of approximately 20 lawyers and 20 data scientists conducted the research, employing artificial intelligence to analyze vast amounts of data. The researchers identified 1,553 violations of BBC editorial guidelines concerning impartiality, accuracy, fairness, truth-telling, and public interest. "The findings reveal a deeply concerning pattern of bias and multiple breaches by the BBC of its editorial guidelines on impartiality, fairness, and truth-telling," the report stated.

No doubt now. There is horrific anti-Israel bias @BBCNews

1553 breaches of its own guidelines in just FOUR MONTHS!

Say it loud and say it clear:

With its lies and its bias nothing has helped the spread antisemitism in the UK more than the BBC.

And it was all public funded!

— David Collier (@mishtal) September 7, 2024

The study also found that the BBC downplayed Hamas terrorism while portraying Israel as militaristic and aggressive. It alleged that several BBC journalists covering the war had previously expressed sympathy for Hamas and even celebrated its attacks. The report further claimed that local freelancers hired by the BBC to cover the Gaza conflict had supported the terrorist organization on social media.

Despite Hamas's atrocities, the research noted that BBC reports linked Israel to war crimes at least four times more often than the terrorist organization (127 reports versus 30), to genocide 14 times more frequently (283 mentions versus 19), and six times more often in the context of violating international law (167 mentions versus 27).

In the world of news it's easy for mistakes to happen. But this ain't that.

This is systemic. This is deliberate. This is bigotry.

This is a betrayal of its charter, we who pay for it, and truth.

This is #BBCbias. This is what we must fight. https://t.co/bo6Id2g1hK

— Josh Howie (@joshxhowie) September 8, 2024

 In response, the BBC stated it would "carefully consider" the study's findings, which were submitted to its CEO Tim Davie, Chairman Samir Shah, and all board members. A BBC spokesperson expressed "serious questions" about the study's methodology, particularly its reliance on artificial intelligence. "We don't believe coverage can be assessed simply by counting words out of context," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added: "We are required to be impartial rather than achieve the 'balance of sympathy' suggested in the report. We believe our knowledgeable and dedicated journalists achieve this despite the conflict's complex and challenging nature. Nevertheless, we will carefully examine the report and respond directly to the authors once we've studied it in detail."

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Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich this week called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to take an official stance against the United States rejoining the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that has a reiterated bias against Israel.

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In a letter sent to Netanyahu as well as Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and obtained by Israel Hayom, Smotrich stressed that it was crucial to express opposition to the move as soon as possible – before President Joe Biden formally announces the move to Congress next month.

Smotrich gave several examples of anti-Israel bias, such as UNESCO declaring the Cave of the Patriarch in Hebron, where patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as well as matriarch Sarah, Rebeccah, and Leah are buried, a Palestinian – rather than Jewish – heritage site. He also criticized the organization for marking the so-called Nakba Day, when Palestinians mourn the "catastrophe" of the establishment of the State of Israel.

He wrote, "The US withdrew from UNESCO under the Trump administration, among other things, at the Israeli government's requests, due to the organization's hostility, which rewrites history and denies the Jewish people's deep historical connection to the land."

Smotrich stressed that while the previous Israeli government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid gave its consent to the US rejoining UNESCO, that is certainly not the case with the current leadership.

"It goes without saying that Israel's consent plays a central role in this case … Support for an organization that twists history is not in line with the government's Zionist and right-wing vision."

Smotrich also said that Israel's support for the move should be conditioned on the removal of the Palestinian Authority from UNESCO.

Last December, Congress approved a bill to allocate over $500 million to pay the US debt to UNESCO and allow its return as a full member. The US plans to rejoin the organization in July.

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Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, criticized the body on Monday for commemorating the voting anniversary of the 1947 partition plan with an event held in solidarity with the Palestinians.

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The plan, known as Resolution 181, called to partition the area of British Mandatory Palestine into two states – one Jewish and one Arab.

In 1947, the UN General Assembly approved the resolution, which was accepted by the mandate's Jewish population, but rejected by the Arabs.

"Israel accepted this partition plan... the Palestinians and the Arab countries rejected it and tried to destroy us," Erdan said in a video message marking the occasion on his Twitter page.

"They also persecuted, massacred, and ultimately expelled the Jewish communities in their own countries. Shockingly, this atrocity is completely… ignored by the UN."

Erdan is partnering with the World Jewish Congress for a campaign to promote the stories of these refugees, with trucks broadcasting messages around New York reading "Don't erase Jewish history."

The official denounced the international body for holding a solidarity event "on the anniversary of the Palestinians' own decision to choose violence."

"The UN is erasing Jewish history, and distorting the truth," he argued.

Erdan also criticized the entity for promoting a Palestinian "right of return," a demand for the millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to come back to their ancestors' lands in what is now Israel.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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"The Belgian funding was coordinated with the Palestinian government and with NGOs tied to the PFLP [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]," which is classified by the European Union as a terrorist organization, according to NGO Monitor.

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The Jerusalem-based watchdog organization first disclosed documents last month revealing the anti-Israel funding.

"Government officials cannot hide behind slogans like 'NGO independence' when the organizations that they select for funding promote hate and demonization," said Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor. "This diplomatic démarche reflects the growing Israeli anger over Europe's support for the NGO cold war against Israel."

Israel and Belgium have been entangled in diplomatic tensions before.

In February, Belgian Deputy Ambassador Pascal Buffin was summoned by the Israeli Foreign Ministry to hear Jerusalem's complaint that Belgium, in its capacity as president of the UN Security Council that month, had invited Brad Parker of Defense for Children–Palestine to brief the council, Israel Hayom reported.

Though calling itself a human-rights group, Defense for Children reportedly has ties to extremists, has accused Israel of torturing Palestinian children, and supports the BDS movement, which calls for boycotting, divesting from and imposing sanctions against Israel.

In 2017, the Israeli government declared that the "Belgian government needs to decide whether it wants to change direction or continue with an anti-Israel line."

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The statement was issued after initiatives were said to have been launched by the Belgian state prosecutor to put on trial senior Israeli military and political figures for supposed war crimes against Palestinians.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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It's no coincidence that Jews were at the forefront of the move to found the ICC. As far back as the 1950s, the idea had been ratting around as a lesson learned from the Holocaust, with the goal being that genocidal murderers would know that they would be held to account. So Israel had already agreed in principle to join the ICC, and all that was necessary was for Netanyahu and the rest of the cabinet to sign off. Netanyahu read the papers and listened to Baker, but as a former ambassador to the UN, he knew firsthand how inherently biased international institutions were. He was concerned that an international entity founded for the highest of purposes would turn against Israel.

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Seeing what was to come, and with the US exerting its influence, Netanyahu decided on an about-face in policy, and declared that Israel would not join the ICC. Looking back, that was a wise decision. As bad as the current situation with The Hague is, it would have been much worse if Israel were a member.

Nothing in the outward appearance of the ICC, where I visited a few years ago, indicates that it is a court. Unlike the glorious old palace that housed the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also located in The Hague, the ICC moved to a high-rise office building without any special outward markings a few years ago. When I visited in 2015, a guide supplied by the court led me through the various floors on my way to meet with Phakiso Mochochoko, head of the complementary legal division and one of chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda's deputies.

"I don't know about Israel's experience [with international institutions], but I can say that there are currently processes underway in the court. The charter's laws and principles are the only thing that guides us," Mochochoko told me.

"The processes are clear, fair, and independent," he said.

Mochochoko went on to tell me that "Even if the prosecutor were a friend of Palestinian leaders, she could not pursue a case because they are her friends. That's not how it works. There are judges."

It seems he knew more than I did about a friendship between the prosecutor and the Palestinians.

Looking for defense

In the 15 years it has been active, the ICC has only opened 11 investigations into suspected war crimes or crimes against humanity, nearly all of which were in Africa. A total of 44 people were accused and arrest warrants were issued for 36 of them. Only six of the suspects were put in prison. But plenty of investigations have ended without any trial due to lack of evidence or for other reasons.

The criminals from Africa and Europe had records that were different, to say the least, from those of IDF officers or Israeli politicians who are now suddenly in danger of being investigated. Because even if one opposes the Israeli government, its leader cannot be accused of killing 100,000 people, Joseph Kony of Uganda – one of the first criminals tried in the ICC – was accused of doing. And even though it goes against common sense, Bensouda has made it clear that if it were up to her, this is what she would do. She deems Kony and Netanyahu to be equal.

We need to go back a bit to understand why dragging Israel to The Hague is a natural step for the country's enemies. Since the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel has been the only one to claim that Judea, Samaria, the Gaza Strip, and – of course – both halves of Jerusalem are "disputed." According to the vast majority of nations, the heart of Israel is "occupied territory." Even the most supportive American administration in history is not throwing off the definition "occupied territory," preferring instead to avoid taking a stance.

From whom did Israel take these territories? The world's answer, factually ridiculous though it might be, is "the Palestinians," even if the territories in question were Jordanian. International politics and law, which are intertwined, come down on Israel in everything have to do with Judea, Samaria, and east Jerusalem. If Israel is tried because of its retention of these territories, it would have a hard time finding international legal scholars who would defend it. The Intifadas, the terrorism, the Palestinian recalcitrance, and the internecine divide between Judea and Samaria and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip do nothing to keep international law from deciding against Israel. Bensouda is just expressing an accepted position. The prosecutor isn't even trying to make the process appear fair; years ago, she published a piece in The Guardian in which she invited the Palestinians to join the ICC, and even explained in detail how to do so. She then proceeded to dismiss all of Israel's arguments.

Over the years, Bensouda has taken care to maintain warm ties with the Palestinians. For example, she informed PA Foreign Minister Riad Malki ahead of time that she intended to announce her decision on the Palestinian issue, but kept the information from Israel. Two weeks ago, Malki was interviewed on the Voice of Palestine radio station and said that "The court's preparatory probe into the [Israeli] settlements is nearly complete."

Jerusalem knew nothing about it. Only in mid-December did Israel learn about any of it, long after the Palestinians. The Prime Minister's Office, the Foreign Ministry, and the Justice Ministry tried to get out ahead of it, and last Friday summoned the Israeli and foreign press to an urgent briefing. But it was too little, too late.

No price was paid

The failure to wage a media battle against the prosecutor is symbolic of the entire war. For 10 years, Israel has been tiptoeing around the most important issues out of fear of The Hague. A series of decisions on defense and security and about the settlements were weighed against the question, "What will they say in The Hague?" That was the thing Netanyahu, as well as former Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit (who is an expert on the ICC) feared most.

Back when Mendelblit was Netanyahu's cabinet secretary, the two adopted a policy of "dealing shrewdly with them," as Exodus 1:10 says. Israel argued that the court was biased, but tried to persuade it by "sending messages." Israel was furious when the Palestinians joined the court, but refrained from making them pay a price. Representatives of the ICC continued to visit Israel, unchallenged. Every briefing said that the IDF was the most moral army in the world, but in effect its soldiers and commanders were attached to lawyers, with the explanation that this would protect them from future investigations.

And hanging in the air is Khan al-Ahmar, a symbol of the crashing failure of Israeli policy. The prime minister has promised dozens of times to evacuate the illegal Arab outpost, but did not act on the decision because of the threat of the ICC.

Despite the echoing failure, at meetings of an inter-ministerial staff this week one could still hear naïve, propitiatory voices. Some suggested waiting to see whether or not the judges at The Hague would agree with the prosecutor, as if any other outcome were possible. Others argued that the US policy of punishing the court – President Donald Trump revoked US visas from its representatives – still hasn't proven effective.

Israel has only one option left when it comes to the ICC, which is threatening its most vital self-defense interests. It must move from the language of law to the language of power. The court in The Hague does not dare tangle with powerful nations that everyone agrees attack human rights, like Russia or China. Rather than Israel's legal squirming, perhaps Bensouda should be put in the position of having to explain to her staff why their computers crashed one morning or where their archives vanished. These are only a few of Israel's options.

Netanyahu said this week that Israel would fight the decision to open an investigation with "every tool at our disposal." Well, unlike his declarations about Khan al-Ahmar, this statement should be followed through on, and sooner rather than later.

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According to information collected by the ministry, in recent months more and more Jewish college students have reported coming under attack by anti-Semitic and pro-Palestinian entities on campus because they did not revoke their support of Israel.

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A report from the Strategic Affairs Ministry, which has taken the reins in the battle against BDS, states that "A situation of 'guilt by association' has been created for any Jewish student who is seen as a supporter of Israel – and therefore deserving of being exiled."

Blake Flayton, a student at George Washington University, wrote in The New York Times about his friends attacking him for expressing solidarity with Israel.

"I am a young, gay, left-wing Jew. Yet I am called an 'apartheid-enabler' and a 'baby killer' because I'm a Zionist and support Israel," he recounted.

Similar stories are flooding in from other colleges and universities across the US.

'Rather than campuses serving as a safe learning environment, they have become a silencer mechanism that prevents Jewish students from voicing their support for Israel'

"This is the start of a trend, especially on progressive campuses. However, it's not everywhere," the Strategic Affairs Ministry reported.

According to the data available, 2019 saw an improvement in how the US federal government was confronting anti-Semitism on campuses. But anti-Israeli groups are adopting a more aggressive approach. According to a study by the AMCHA Initiatives, while there has not been an uptick in the number of anti-Semitic incidents on US college campuses, there has been a 70% increase in the number of anti-Semitic campus incidents having to do with Israel.

The Strategic Affairs Ministry said that "BDS activism on campuses has increased, along with the number of anti-Semitic incidents against Jews because of their support for Israel."

Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan told Israel Hayom that "rather than campuses serving as a safe learning environment, they have become a silencer mechanism that prevents Jewish students from voicing their support for Israel."

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According to Collier's report, titled "Spotlight on Amnesty International: From bias to obsession," Palestinian activists with ties to the Palestinian Authority and who openly support terrorist entities have taken control of some branches of Amnesty.

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The study will be submitted to British law enforcement agencies for review to ascertain whether any of Amnesty's activities contravene British law.

Amnesty is headquartered in London. The organization, founded in 1961 to defend human rights around the world, claims that it currently has 7 million members, making it the largest civil society organization in the world.

Collier's report exposes a strong anti-Israel bias among many of the organization's employees, including several dozen who hold key positions. According to his study, Amnesty employs people who are avowed supporters of terrorism, and their reports are used in the information Amnesty publishes, which strongly influences public opinion.

Collier found an official advisor to Amnesty who tweeted messages of support for a terrorist group and advised terrorists to hide information about the true nature of their activities in order to "protect the resistance." The report also says that Amnesty has recruited employees whom it knew were activists on behalf of a specific political goal, which violates the principles of neutrality that are supposed to form the basis of the organization's activity.

"As Amnesty displays a symbiotic relationship with BDS, it is fair to conclude that elements within Amnesty International actively seek to promote the destruction of the Jewish state. Because there is a religious aspect to some of Amnesty's obsession, we conclude that the cumulative effect of the organization's unnatural hostility towards Israel is anti-Semitic," the report says.

Collier's report details 21 specific instances in which senior Amnesty employees' social media accounts showed hostility toward Israel, including Amnesty advisors based in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, as well as position-holders at the organization's London headquarters.

One example is Saleh Hijazi, Deputy Regional Director for Amnesty Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Hijazi hails from Ramallah and was a well-known anti-Israeli activist prior to joining Amnesty. He is also a member of the Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network, which Collier describes as an "explicitly pro-Palestinian think tank. Shabaka consistently accuses Israel of apartheid, genocide, and ethnic cleansing.

"It is perhaps no coincidence that Hijazi's rise in Amnesty has coincided with a further slide of the organization into raw BDS territory with their Airbnb and Trip Advisor campaigns," the report says.

According to the reports, of the 152 tweets Hijazi sent out over the course of a year, only four were unrelated to the Israeli-Arab conflict, which Collier calls "an obsession rate of 97%" – despite the fact that Hijazi's job at Amnesty means he covers a region that includes Iran, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen.

Collier's research concludes with the statement: "Given the findings it is fair to conclude that Amnesty International have declared open 'war' on Israel. It has turned its entire arsenal onto the Jewish state. The obsession is clearly driven by an unnatural bias, deep hostility and anti-Semitism."

Amnesty International responded to Israel Hayom's request for a response with the statement: "We have not seen this report and cannot provide a comment on these allegations. Amnesty International is an independent and impartial organization that adheres to the highest research standards in all its work. Any research outputs produced by Amnesty International are subjected to a rigorous review process including multiple layers of approvals by research managers and experts in policy and international law. The organization is committed to uncovering human rights abuses and violations wherever they occur and will continue to do so."

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The 33-page dossier documents more than 100 incidents that have made Columbia and Barnard "a hotbed for hate" since the 2016-17 academic year.

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The catalog categorized each act into one of these categories: anti-Semitic expressions, meaning language, imagery or behavior that would be considered anti-Semitic according to the guidelines outlined by the US State Department's definition of anti-Semitism; incidents targeting Jewish students and staff; or activity related to the anti-Israel BDS movement.

In one such incident, Students for Justice in Palestine held a "die-in" on the Columbia campus in May and released a statement that condoned terrorism, denied the right to Jewish self-determination, and accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

The report also reviewed "various bigoted and anti-Semitic statements, publications and actions" from Columbia and Barnard faculty and staff.

Avi Gordon, executive director of ACF, told JNS, "This report reveals the disturbing truth about anti-Semitism at one of the highest-regarded universities in the United States. In this time of increasing hatred against Jews, Alums for Campus Fairness believes that it is paramount that the public, media and policymakers have the tools to address this climate of bigotry."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The California State Board of Education stated that "the current draft model curriculum falls short and needs to be substantially redesigned."

"Following the Instructional Quality Commission's review and response to all public comments, a new draft will be developed for State Board of Education review and potential approval. The Board will ultimately adopt an ethnic studies model curriculum that aligns to California's values."

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Jewish lawmakers complained that the proposed lessons were anti-Semitic, while a conservative critic said that capitalism was presented as a "form of power and oppression." The clash comes as the law requires the state to adopt ethnic studies, which view history through the lens of diverse cultures.

"We really need some significant changes, if not to go back to square one," said Democratic state Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica, the caucus chairman. "Our concern is that the draft curriculum, as currently written, would literally institutionalize the teaching of anti-Semitic stereotypes in our public schools."

For instance, the proposed curriculum has lessons on identifying Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination but does not include ways to identify anti-Semitism. Song lyrics included in the draft also seem to support the stereotype that Jews control the news media, the caucus said.

"It would be a cruel irony if a curriculum meant to help alleviate prejudice and bigotry were to instead marginalize Jewish students and fuel hatred and discrimination against the Jewish community," the 14 caucus members said in a recent letter.

Jewish lawmakers said this was a particular danger following a rise in hate crimes against Jews in California last year and recent attacks on synagogues, including one in April. A 19-year-old gunman told investigators he was motivated by Jewish hatred when he killed a woman and wounded two other people, including a rabbi, at the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego.

"Children are not born as bigots, and so it's critically important that we get this curriculum right," said Democratic Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara.

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said on Wednesday that he would recommend changes to better reflect the contributions of Jewish Americans and remove sections that the California Legislative Jewish Caucus found objectionable.

Thurmond said the omission of Jewish contributions was not intentional but that ethnic studies traditionally have focused on African Americans, Latinos, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and indigenous people.

He and some Jewish lawmakers said that there have been other requests to include Hindus, as well as a section on the Armenian genocide. Allen suggested that white Europeans might learn empathy for immigrants today if there were a section on the discrimination that Italian and Irish nationals once faced in the US.

The California Legislative Jewish Caucus cited several examples of alleged anti-Semitism in the proposed curriculum, including:

• Religion is included in sample courses for African American, Native American, Latin American and Arab American studies, but the draft curriculum "effectively erases the American Jewish experience."
• The draft emphasizes "the importance of studying hate crimes, white supremacy, bias, prejudice, and discrimination [but] omits any meaningful discussion of anti-Semitism."
• The glossary includes Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination including racism, sexism, classism,      homophobia, transphobia, colonialism and imperialism – but not anti-Semitism.
• It recommends song lyrics asserting that Israelis "use the press," reflecting a stereotype that Jews control the media.
• It contains a "not-so-subtle promotion of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement" against Israel that many in the Jewish community see as discriminatory.
• It "singles out Israel – the world's only Jewish state – for special critique and condemnation that is both out of context and factually inaccurate."

Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, lauded both the results of the campaign to change the curriculum and the fact that the Jewish community mobilized quickly and as one.

"The pro-Israel community and people of goodwill stood together, united against a hateful, biased curriculum and demanded change. Our voices were heard. We look forward to seeing a curriculum that is inclusive, and that we can all feel comfortable with."

The Israeli-American Council also approved the decision by the Board of Education and Gov. Gavin Newsom, but said that they will continue to work to ensure that the new curriculum "will exclude hateful movements such as BDS, as well as any other narratives that demonize Israel and the Jewish people."

IAC co-founder and CEO Shoham Nicolet said in a statement that "to truly advance the goals of the ethnic studies curriculum as described by the California Department of Education, we believe that the narratives and experiences of the American Jewish community and the Israeli-American community, which constitutes a distinct ethnic group that faces discrimination, must be included."

The Jewish Center for Justice also approved the decision.

"The 'Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum' that was both anti-Semitic and which erased our long history of struggle, persecution, and resistance," it said.

"That this curriculum was considered at all during a time when hate crimes against Jews in California, and the United States overall, is on the rise is highly disconcerting. We echo the words and leadership of the California Jewish Legislative Caucus, and urge the State Board of Education to propose a curriculum that includes the experiences and voices of the Jewish community without unfairly singling out Israel or ignoring issues of anti-Semitism."

The AMCHA Initiative said that while they are pleased with the Board of Education's decision, revamping the curriculum needs to address the underlying issues of anti-Israel bias.

"The State Board of Education must establish overall safeguards to ensure that abusive and unconscionable attempts to hijack an educational curriculum in order to indoctrinate students with political, religious and ethnic hate are never attempted again," AMCHA Initiative Director Tammi Rossman-Benjamin said. "If the State Board of Education does not do this, it is imperative that our state's elected leaders introduce legislation to right this wrong and protect our students."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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