The JCRC promotes safe, hate-free, respectful learning environments for all students, combats school-based antisemitism, and advocates for accommodations for students’ religious observances. Our approach reaches all stakeholders in our local school systems: students, parents, teachers and other school staff, central school system administrators, and superintendents.
The JCRC Education Outreach Department:
- Provides resources to school administrators and teachers about accommodations for students observing Jewish holidays and customs;
- Offers assistance to schools dealing with incidents of antisemitism and other types of hatred
- Assists parents in navigating school bureaucracies when they are dealing with religious accommodations, antisemitism and other challenges impacting Jewish students;
- Consults with administrators and teachers regarding the teaching of units connected to Jewish history or the Jewish faith, such as the Holocaust
Advocate
The JCRC advocates with school administrators, school board members, and other elected officials on matters impacting the needs and interests of Jewish students and their families. We actively participate in interfaith and intergroup coalitions that work to promote safe, mutually respectful learning environments that are free from hate-based harassment, vandalism, and discrimination. Our staff leverage their strong working relationships with stakeholders throughout the school system in order to advocate for and support parents whose children are experiencing bias-related challenges in their schools.
Train and Consult
The JCRC designs and conducts trainings for educators, mental health professionals, and other school staff on antisemitism, Jewish beliefs and practices, and the unique needs and experiences of Jewish students and their families. We participate in and co-sponsor Holocaust education trainings with other organizations and provide consultation and resources to school administrators responding to specific incidents in their schools. Our Holocaust Survivors’ Speakers Bureau reaches over 5,000 students and teachers every year. The JCRC also coordinates teen Holocaust education programming in conjunction with our annual community-wide Yom Ha’shoah commemorations.
Empower
The JCRC empowers Jewish parents and students to serve as catalysts for the advancement of mutual respect and safety in their school communities. Our Student to Student program trains Jewish teens to share their Jewish beliefs and practices and experiences with their non-Jewish peers, in order to dispel harmful stereotypes and encourage greater empathy and understanding. Our Israel Engagement Fellowship prepares students to engage with and advocate for Israel in their own way on college campuses and beyond. We provide programming, information and other resources to assist parents in navigating complex school bureaucracies. As an outgrowth of our advocacy work. we facilitate opportunities for community members to meet directly with superintendents and other high-level administrators to share critical feedback and ensure their voices are heard.
