The Board of Deputies held a meeting with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson on Wednesday to raise concerns about antisemitism in the education system.
Citing the targeting of Jewish schools by bad faith actors, as well as the bullying and intimidation faced by Jewish students and teachers in the wider school-system, the Board representatives said it was time to push back hard against hatred.
The national Jewish representative organisation pointed to how biased educational materials, and inappropriate actions by some teachers and teaching unions, were leading to severe anxiety among Jews in the wider sector.
The group also discussed concerns about the cumulative impact of rises in VAT and business rates for the independent Jewish school sector, and particularly for the Haredi community where the majority of children are in independent faith schools.
Finally, the group discussed better provision about education about British Jews and Judaism, including the Board of Deputies and Anti-Defamation League’s Jewish Living Online resource, the Board’s Jewish Living Experience Exhibition, and the Board’s proposal for a British Jewish Culture Month to celebrate the contribution of British Jews to the UK.
Following the meeting, Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg said, “We want to extend our thanks to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. She understood the problems immediately and has already taken some important decisive steps against prejudice. We will continue to work with her and across the Department to stamp out antisemitism in our education system”.
Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, said: “The antisemitism we have seen in some schools and universities targeting Jewish pupils and teachers, students and lecturers, is absolutely abhorrent and I will continue to call it out. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Board of Deputies and the Jewish community to fight antisemitism across the sector.”