Two human rights organizations representing the interests of the Jewish community have initiated a lawsuit against the state of California, accusing it of anti-Semitism in the education system. The lawsuit was filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights and the organization StandWithUs. Among the defendants are the California State Board of Education, the State Department of Education, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond.

The lawsuit, presented on behalf of Jewish parents, claims that anti-Semitism has occurred in school districts including Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland. The document describes various incidents directed against Jewish students. Among them: a teacher called a third-grade student a ‘racist’; a student was coerced into participating in a celebration by a teacher related to the tragic events of October 7, 2023, when HAMAS attacked Israelis; a ninth-grader was shown an image of the Star of David crushed by a fist by a teacher.

The lawsuit also mentions a strike where shouts of ‘F**k the Jews’ were heard, as well as an incident where a classmate choked a middle school student, saying: ‘Shut up, stupid Jewish bastard.’ The mother of one of the students faced ridicule when she spoke about incidents of anti-Semitic insults at a school board meeting, being called a ‘Zionist Nazi bitch.’ Furthermore, a middle school student was pursued by classmates with threats: ‘We want you to die’ when they heard him speaking Hebrew.

The lawsuit also asserts that teachers and teachers’ unions contributed to anti-Semitism by including in the curricula for preschool and elementary school books with the inscription ‘I means Intifada.’ Additionally, the document states that the California administration failed to take necessary steps in response to the incidents mentioned, thereby violating citizens’ rights.

This lawsuit, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, has received support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Anti-Defamation League.