The Ronald Birnbaum Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education will drive coordinated advocacy across K-12 schools and universities to address rising antisemitism
New York, NY, October 31, 2024 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today announced the launch of the Ronald Birnbaum Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education to compel educational institutions to meet their legal and moral obligations to ensure safe, welcoming learning environments for all members of their communities, including Jewish students, faculty and staff.
There is a rising crisis of antisemitism in our educational spaces; the new Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education (CCAE) will prioritize a whole-of-society approach to countering antisemitism in education – harnessing ADL’s research, advocacy, litigation, monitoring and outreach to drive meaningful action to change the education ecosystem and protect students.
“No student should face hatred at school, but since Oct. 7 the antisemitic vitriol, intimidation and violence in classrooms and on campuses has been unrelenting,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “In response to this, ADL is uniquely positioned to bring together a range of resources and stakeholders to target this critical issue for the Jewish community.”
The Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education (CCAE) will be led by Shira Goodman, a leader with deep experience in education policy and advocacy. Goodman will collaborate with a team of ADL staff dedicated to campus and K-12 advocacy, curriculum development and stakeholder engagement.
Named in memory of the father of a longtime ADL supporter, CCAE will house all of ADL’s initiatives to combat antisemitism in K-12 schools and on college campuses. CCAE will pursue every available lever – from collaboration and consultation to partnerships, lobbying and litigation -- to respond to antisemitism across the education ecosystem.
“We’re so proud of the work ADL does every day to counter antisemitism in schools and on campuses across the country,” said Goodman. “This center will allow us to scale those efforts to serve even more students and their families by driving impact in more classrooms and on more campuses.”
The initiative will also leverage ADL’s regional offices, ensuring local partnerships and national impact.
ADL’s new center will rise to this challenge by prioritizing work in several key areas:
- Enhancing Safety: Providing strategies to improve the emotional and physical well-being of Jewish students, faculty and staff, ensuring they are welcomed and included in their educational communities.
- Holding Educational Institutions Accountable: Ensuring there are consequences for inaction and leveraging all available tools to ensure educational institutions meet the moment.
- Countering All forms of Antisemitic Extremism: Actively disrupting antisemitic and anti-Israel groups and dismantling their harmful influence in K-12 and higher education spaces.
- Empowering Jewish Communities and Allies: Equipping Jewish leaders and their allies with tools, resources and training to advocate effectively against antisemitism.
CCAE will stress accountability by producing the ADL Campus Antisemitism Report Card, raising awareness, and ensuring officials exercise oversight to drive meaningful change; will offer legal support through ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL); and will leverage tools like Title VI complaints to hold schools and universities accountable.
A recent ADL report found that during the 2023-2024 school year, anti-Israel incidents on campuses in the United States increased 477 percent, including 360 instances of harassment, 201 instances of vandalism and 28 assaults. Additionally, ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents found that antisemitic incidents in non-Jewish K-12 schools increased 135 percent from 2022 to 2023.
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.