A shocking lawsuit reveals that public schools across California are becoming breeding grounds for anti-Semitism as Jewish students are harassed, humiliated, and subjected to taxpayer-funded propaganda.
AT A GLANCE
- A California teacher showed students a Turkish video equating Israel’s actions to the Holocaust.
- Jewish students in Santa Clara and other districts report harassment, bullying, and bias in classrooms.
- Advocacy groups have filed lawsuits alleging systemic discrimination and civil rights violations.
- Some schools used maps and materials describing Israel as a genocidal occupier.
- The U.S. Department of Education is now investigating Berkeley Unified over related concerns.
Classroom Indoctrination: Holocaust Abuse as ‘Lesson Plan’
In Santa Clara, California, a high school teacher reportedly played a Turkish propaganda video for a 10th-grade class—comparing Israel’s military response to Hamas to the Holocaust. The video, distributed by TRT World, splices together footage from Gaza with Nazi-era atrocities and even includes a Holocaust survivor saying she feels “ashamed” of being Jewish due to Israel’s actions. According to the Washington Free Beacon, the video suggested Jewish people should feel guilt over defending their homeland.
And this isn’t a one-off. The lawsuit details a disturbing pattern of classroom materials that describe Israel as an “apartheid” regime, accuse it of “genocide,” and erase it from maps entirely. Jewish students have reported feeling isolated and harassed for their identity—with the schools doing little or nothing to stop it.
Watch the controversial propaganda video shown in class.
Legal Showdown: Parents and Advocacy Groups Say ‘Enough’
In response, advocacy organizations StandWithUs and the Bay Area Jewish Coalition have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Santa Clara Unified School District, demanding accountability for what they describe as a “pervasive hostile environment” toward Jewish and Israeli students.
“It is both shocking and heartbreaking that it has come to this,” said attorney David Rosenberg-Wohl. “After 1.5 years of continuous attempts to constructively address the situation to no avail, SCUSD Jewish students feel abandoned, leaving us no choice but to file this official complaint.”
According to EdSource, similar complaints have been filed in the Sequoia Union district, where teachers allegedly ignored slurs, memes, and outright bullying aimed at Jewish students. School officials reportedly failed to act, even when families followed every available internal channel.
A Systemic Failure of Education and Ethics
The legal complaints aren’t just about offensive videos—they speak to a much deeper rot in California’s public education system. The lawsuits allege that staff have reinforced anti-Israel narratives, pushed students to adopt anti-Semitic talking points, and created classrooms where pro-Israel voices are silenced.
“The result is not only a reprehensible failure of pedagogy but a hostile learning environment for Jewish students,” the Sequoia suit states. One high school even displayed maps that erased Israel completely, replacing it with “Palestine,” while others allegedly described Jews as colonizers and baby killers.
Students and parents repeatedly raised concerns, only to be ignored. “Students don’t want to embarrass teachers, risk ridicule and humiliation,” said Lori Lowenthal Marcus. “All of the families tried internal procedures… but all felt let down. A lawsuit was the next option.”
The Federal Government Steps In
The fallout is growing beyond the courtroom. The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into Berkeley Unified, where similar allegations have emerged. If these lawsuits succeed, they could set a powerful precedent for how schools address rising antisemitism—and how they fail students when they don’t.
California’s education system now faces a stark choice: return to a standard of fairness and fact-based instruction, or continue down the path of bias, indoctrination, and discrimination. For Jewish families fighting for equal treatment, the message is clear: silence is no longer an option.
