Antisemitism helpline launched for K-12 students in Massachusetts and New York, ADL says

BOSTON — A coalition of groups and law firms have banded together to launch a helpline to provide pro bono legal assistance to parents whose children are experiencing antisemitism in Massachusetts and New York.

The helpline aims to help students in grades K through 12, the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement on Monday.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, StandWithUs, and a coalition of law firms have joined the ADL in the effort.

The helpline follows a successful pilot program in California, the first state for which the hotline was launched after “a series of troubling antisemitic incidents in the state’s K-12 schools,” the ADL said.

Antisemitic incidents in elementary, middle and high schools in Massachusetts and New York “have increased significantly over the last year,” the ADL said.

In 2023, reported incidents in K-12 schools in Massachusetts nearly doubled to 101, up from 53 incidents in 2022, according to the ADL. In 2023, reported incidents in K-12 schools in New York more than tripled to 173, up from 53 incidents in 2022.

The alarming rise in both the number and intensity of antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools in New York and Massachusetts have made it clear that parents, students and educators need an option for legal help, Peggy Shukur, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League’s East Division said in a statement.

“Particularly in situations where responses to antisemitism are inadequate or worse, access to high-quality legal assistance is a crucial tool to ensure a safe learning environment,” Shukur said. “By providing these legal efforts, this helpline will empower Jewish students, teachers and parents to take action to fight against antisemitic harassment and bigotry.”

“Day after day, students across our state are facing a barrage of antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools,” said Scott Richman, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s New York/New Jersey region. “Increasingly, those incidents have required legal assistance. Alongside our impactful anti-hate education programs, this pro bono legal helpline is a welcome addition to the arsenal of tools at our disposal to fight the antisemitic prejudice that we see in our schools.”

As a result of the California K-12 pilot program, in February, Brandeis and the ADL filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the Berkeley school district for failing to take action to end the nonstop bullying and harassment of Jewish students by peers and teachers. 

Since its launch, the California hotline has received an influx of K-12 incidents. These include a wide variety of antisemitic incident reports including Jewish students being harassed, intimidated, and threatened with violence because of their religion.

“The barrage of anti-Semitic harassment, intimidation, and attacks against Jewish students is unfortunately not contained within the campus gates,” Brandeis Center Vice Chair and General Counsel Rachel Lerman said in a statement.

“Coast to coast, Jewish K-12 students have been verbally and physically bullied, threatened, and assaulted by peers who absorb anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric from some of their teachers,” Lerman said. “They have been told they are hated and should all be killed, spat on, called dirty Jew, told to go to the gas chambers, slandered, and threatened with violence.”

“Administrations cannot be allowed to turn a blind eye to the intimidation, bullying and anti-Semitic rhetoric their students endure within their schools,” Lerman said. “Our team of lawyers stand ready to use the law to hold schools accountable to enforce their own rules as Jewish students are subjected to a virulently hostile environment. This must stop.”

Parents, teachers, and other adults in Massachusetts and New York can use the Legal Protection K-12 Helpline to report incidents of antisemitic discrimination, intimidation, harassment, vandalism or violence that may necessitate legal action.

Lawyers will gather information through interviews with persons who file reports.

In some instances, they may provide pro bono representation on behalf of victims or provide referrals to organizations that can provide non-legal assistance, according to the ADL.

“The lawyers will also, with permission of the individuals involved, use the reports to better understand the scope of the problem and report it to officials responsible for ensuring the laws are followed. If schools do not take action, they will be held accountable,” the ADL said.

Carly Gammill, director of legal policy at the StandWithUs, said in a statement that the expansion of the helpline into Massachusetts and New York “comes at a time when antisemitism continues to plague students in our nation’s schools and will help ensure broader access to legal resources for students seeking to address attacks against their Jewish identity.”

The expansion builds upon continued efforts to address antisemitism on college campuses, as well.

In November 2023, Brandeis and the ADL, along with Hillel International, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and other law firms, launched the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), a helpline to assist students and faculty experiencing antisemitism on college campuses.

More than 650 college students and faculty have used the resource to report incidents and request assistance, officials said.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits educational institutions that receive federal funding from discriminating against, or allowing others to discriminate against, students on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, and national origin. Title VI protects Jews based on their shared ancestral and ethnic identity. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recognizes that harassing, marginalizing, demonizing, and excluding Jewish students based on the Zionist component of their Jewish identity is unlawful under Title VI.

To report an incident at a K-12 school, click here: https://www.legal-protection.org/k-12

To report an incident at a college or university, click here: https://www.legal-protection.org/

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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