California Sued Over Alleged Antisemitism in Public Schools

A coalition of Jewish parents and civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing the state of California of allowing widespread antisemitism in its public schools. The suit, brought by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and StandWithUs, alleges “pervasive harassment of Jewish and Israeli students in its public education system.”

Filed on behalf of several Jewish families, the complaint claims students have been subjected to “cruel, persistent, and pervasive anti-Semitism,” and accuses the state of offering only “toothless remedies” through a “glacial and opaque administrative process.” 

“Plaintiffs urgently need this Court’s intervention because Defendants have failed to ensure that the treatment of Jewish students in California’s public schools conforms to the laws of California, rather than the standards of the European Middle Ages or the Soviet Union,” the complaint states.

The suit alleges that “California teachers are too often not only the enablers but the perpetrators of antiSemitic attacks against Jewish and Israeli students under their charge.”

Marci Lerner Miller of the Brandeis Center said the parents tried every available channel before filing the lawsuit. “The parents who are in the complaint, they’ve done everything right. They’ve gone through the proper steps. They filed these complaints with the district. Some of them have appealed the decisions. They’ve waited months, years in some cases, and some have never gotten decisions,” Miller said. “They’ve gone through the process that they’ve always assumed would protect their children, and it hasn’t done that.”

“We’re hoping to give Jewish students the same opportunities as every other student in California to a free and equal public education, which is their guaranteed constitutional right,” she added. “Unfortunately, we have to do this through the lawsuit, because all of the other methods the parents and we tried have not been enough to accomplish that.”

One plaintiff, Melissa Alexander, said her 12-year-old son now “refuses to speak about his Jewish heritage and wear his Jewish star anymore at school.” The complaint alleges a teacher whose social media contained anti-Israel content disciplined him over a Star of David necklace. When Alexander asked what he had done, she was told “it did not matter.” He received “Unsatisfactory” grades and was warned he might not advance to eighth grade. “Watching my son navigate these challenges has broken my heart,” Alexander said. She added, “This is more than just a lawsuit for our family. It’s about helping to create a safer future for all Jewish students so that no other student feels unprotected in the future.”

In another case cited in the complaint, a third-grade girl at Kester Elementary School in Los Angeles was allegedly barred from performing at a school talent show after planning to sing a song by an Israeli Eurovision contestant while holding a poster with the Israeli flag. A teaching assistant allegedly told her, “Israel is a racist apartheid state, and by supporting Israel, you are being racist.” The family later transferred her to another school.

The lawsuit also details the case of B.R., who transferred to Daniel Pearl Magnet High School to escape antisemitism at a previous campus. At Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, peers allegedly hurled explicit antisemitic slurs, gave “Heil Hitler” salutes, and chased him shouting “Let’s get the Jew,” before tripping and beating him unconscious. Administrators allegedly suggested he eat lunch separately. 

Beyond individual incidents, the complaint alleges the infiltration of “antisemitic propaganda” into classrooms. It cites a December 2023 teach-in in Oakland that included a reading of P Is for Palestine, defining “I is for Intifada” as “rising up for what is right.” Worksheets reportedly referenced “Zionist bullies.” Ivy Chesser, a parent involved in the case, said she was “ignored, dismissed, or offered only paltry solutions that reflect a tolerance for antisemitism.” “I chose to be a part of this lawsuit,” Chesser said, “because I am afraid for the future my children will face after generations are allowed to be indoctrinated with antisemitism and anti-Americanism in our classrooms.”

Kenneth Marcus, founder and chairman of the Brandeis Center, said, “The California education system is teaching the state’s children that Jewish Americans and Israelis are racists, white supremacists, oppressors, and baby-killers who should be shunned.” He added, “The result is not surprising: Jewish children and children perceived as Jewish are bullied and excluded by their peers and harassed by their teachers, who silence, mock, and even segregate them if they speak out.”

Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation, said, “More than half a million students attend L.A. public schools, including 50,000 Jewish children. Rising anti-Semitism in our classrooms is leaving some students unsafe and unprotected. California already has 2 strong laws to prevent hate and discrimination now they must be enforced consistently so every child can learn safely with dignity.” He added, “When any child experiences hate unchecked, it threatens the safety and moral integrity of our entire public education system.”

The lawsuit comes a day after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a separate civil rights case against UCLA, alleging the university allowed a hostile workplace for Jewish and Israeli employees following October 7. Together, the cases place California’s education system under heightened legal scrutiny over antisemitism.

The lawsuit seeks court monitoring, elimination of antisemitic curriculum, mandatory training for educators, and structural reforms to ensure equal access to education for Jewish students statewide.