NEW YORK — ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) on Tuesday unveiled an innovative and comprehensive new online learning experience on antisemitism for middle and high school student groups. The course, Awareness to Action: Challenging Antisemitism is designed to unravel the complexities of antisemitism and to empower the next generation to challenge bias in all forms.
The four-part digital course, which is available free of charge to schools, includes four learning modules that can each be completed in 30 minutes or less. The individual modules include “Exploring Jewish Identity,” “Recognizing Antisemitism,” “Challenging Antisemitism” and “Championing Justice.”
“Now more than ever, our nation’s students need to be equipped with the tools to recognize and challenge antisemitism when faced with it online, in their schools and in their communities,” said Clara Hess, ADL Vice President of Education.
The new course comes at a time when antisemitic incidents have reached historic levels across the United States, on college campuses and in K-12 schools. Between Oct. 7, 2023 and Feb. 20, 2024, ADL recorded a total of 5,590 antisemitic incidents across the U.S., a 331 percent increase year over year. At non-Jewish K-12 schools, ADL has tracked 450 antisemitic incidents across the country, a 107 percent increase over the 217 incidents during the same time frame a year ago.
“Educators play an important role in shaping the perspectives of their students,” Hess added. “Our new course gives teachers the tools to dispel myths and stereotypes and to foster a deeper understanding of antisemitism and bias in the classroom and beyond.”
Awareness to Action builds a comprehensive learning arc, with each lesson building on the last one for a holistic understanding of antisemitism.
Participants in the interactive digital learning experience hear directly from Jewish students who provide authentic perspectives. The course features stories, photos, videos, checks for understanding, reflection questions and scenarios. An Educator Guide is included to support implementation of the learning experience and educators also will receive access to recommended professional learning and extension activities.
For more information or to register students for the course, visit www.adl.org/AwarenessToAction
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Preceding provided by the Anti-Defamation League