A 16-year-old Jewish student from Cheshire has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to make lessons combating antisemitism mandatory in schools, following years of bullying and abuse. Jonathan Frisher said he faced threats to “vandalise my house with swastikas” and was subjected to hissing imitations of gas chambers by fellow pupils.
After experiencing antisemitic behaviour three years ago, Frisher requested his school teach a class on contemporary antisemitism. The lesson focused on Nazi ideologies and their modern manifestations, which he said helped change attitudes. “People apologised to me,” he said, attributing the shift to education.
Frisher launched a petition to make such lessons compulsory nationwide. It gained 6,000 signatures over three years but surged to 33,000 after a stabbing attack on two Jewish men in Golders Green last month. Recent polling by Jewish News found three in five people support teaching about antisemitism as part of the national curriculum.
Frisher envisions lessons that go beyond the Holocaust to address contemporary antisemitism and Jewish contributions to society. “I really saw the power of education to change people's antisemitic attitudes which are often rooted in ignorance,” he said.
Sir Keir Starmer has described antisemitism as “a crisis for all of us” and pledged £1 million for community safety and counter-narrative projects. A Department for Education spokesperson said an independent review into antisemitism in schools, led by Sir David Bell, is underway alongside a £7 million investment to tackle the issue.
