A 16-year-old Jewish student has urged the government to make lessons combating antisemitism mandatory after enduring bullying and abuse at school, including threats to “vandalise my house with swastikas.”
Jonathan Frisher, from Cheshire, said that education against antisemitism was “needed more than ever now” amid a “crisis of antisemitism,” citing recent attacks on the Jewish community and the stabbing of two British Jews in Golders Green last month.
The teenager’s campaign began three years ago after he experienced antisemitism at his school. “I had people hissing at me, like imitating gas chambers,” he told The Independent. “I also had threats to vandalise my house with swastikas.”
After the initial shock, he requested his school teach a class on contemporary antisemitism to challenge ignorance. “It was just one simple lesson which focused on Nazi-based ideologies specifically, how these continue today, how antisemitism is manifested around the world and in Britain,” he said.
Mr Frisher noted that his school listened to his input. “I saw that lots of this did come from a place of ignorance because they didn't really understand the implications of it,” he said. “But education really did change this in my school. People apologised to me.”
Seeing the impact, he started a petition to make such classes mandatory nationwide. The petition gained 6,000 signatures over three years but has since surged to 33,000, with tens of signings in the past week. The spike follows the Golders Green attack, where Esse Suleiman is charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing a bladed article. The incident occurred near where four Hatzola ambulances were set alight in an arson attack in March.
Recent polling by Jewish News showed three in five people believe school pupils should be taught about antisemitism as part of the national curriculum. The government already mandates Holocaust education at key stage three. Mr Frisher envisions lessons similar to his experience but with more focus on antisemitism outside the Holocaust, its impact on the Jewish community, and Jewish contributions to society.
Sir Keir Starmer has called antisemitism “a crisis for all of us” and pledged an extra £1 million for community safety and projects countering antisemitic narratives. Mr Frisher said, “The PM has literally called it a crisis himself. This is a crisis of antisemitism, and even three years ago it was clear that education was needed. It's clearly needed more than ever now.”
He added, “It's good that the government has announced more security to tackle the symptoms, but the root causes and wider societal attitudes need to be challenged. It shouldn't be normalised. If education isn't implemented, so many of the young generation won't properly understand antisemitism, and education can help me and all the Jews I know feel safe and welcome in this country in the future.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Antisemitism has no place in our society or our schools – every student and every member of staff deserve to feel safe, respected, and included. That’s why the Education Secretary has asked Sir David Bell to undertake an independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges, alongside an investment of £7 million into tackling antisemitism in education. We are making Holocaust education compulsory and revitalising the curriculum to ensure every child learns to identify mis and disinformation.”
