Hope for a Brighter Future at Pali High

It is not news that the virus of antisemitism is again spreading rapidly. Our Jewish community has long been used to hearing about antisemitism on college campuses and in popular culture with bad actors like Kanye West. Unfortunately, high schools are no longer immune to the antisemitism that continuously seeps in from the rest of the world.

Despite the current idealism of tolerance and acceptance for all minority student groups, it is clear that Jewish students aren’t afforded the same courtesy. Many Jewish students are now scared to openly wear the Star of David in public. When they do, some of their peers bully them with ancient slurs and antisemitic tropes. When they report these incidents they are often ignored by school administrators, and most Jewish students won’t even make a claim for fear of retribution.

One public high school in Los Angeles is proving that they can live up to their values of inclusivity and acceptance and is taking a stand against antisemitism: Palisades Charter High School, my high school.

Pali High’s campus has been defaced with swastikas and hateful graffiti more than once in the past year alone. Swastikas were etched in the restrooms and on school desks. A teacher denied Jewish students access to a program because, in his words, Jews “don’t experience discrimination in America.” He wasn’t joking, just remarkably uninformed. Other teachers share their personal feelings about “Jewish privilege” during class time. Israel is defamed by teachers, and Jewish students hesitate to speak up to defend their ancestral homeland. The Students Supporting Israel club had its materials stolen and publicly defaced. Last fall, a Jewish student was told by another student “you’re dripping from Israel, you dirty Jew.” And a teacher told a Jewish student that “Kanye was right,” alluding to the deeply antisemitic and Hitler-praising comments that Kanye had released via Twitter. As co-President of the Jewish Student Union and co-President of the Students Supporting Israel club, I am exposed to all of this.

Jewish student leaders met regularly to determine what could be done to change the increasingly hostile climate on our campus.

Jewish student leaders met regularly to determine what could be done to change the increasingly hostile climate on our campus. A courageous and supportive teacher and faculty advisor, Mr. Michael Mashbaum, arranged for a meeting with the high school’s principal, Dr. Pamela Magee, and discussed with her the antisemitic incidents on campus. Dr. Magee shared her genuine concern for what Jewish students were facing, and said she was motivated to take action. She agreed to implement training for all of the 130 Pali High faculty and staff by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which in turn immediately agreed to provide the necessary specialized education about antisemitism, discrimination, intolerance and the Holocaust. During the first Pali High teachers’ professional development day of 2023 in early January, an educator from the Wiesenthal Center visited the school to provide training. This may be the first of its kind in the entire Los Angeles public school system.

Unfortunately, antisemitism on campus did not end with that one session. A Pali High teacher just recently began a class lecturing about why “the Jews” are always “wealthy” and “successful.” More action needed to be taken.

To achieve lasting results, Dr. Magee agreed to send teachers and staff in small cohorts to the Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance on Pico Boulevard to receive additional in-depth training. Because our public high school might not be able to afford the bus transportation costs for such an undertaking, Mr. Mashbaum and I pitched Pali High’s Booster Club to fund the costs and $5,100 was approved.

In a follow-up meeting with Dr. Magee, she asked what else might be done to protect Jewish students on campus, so I presented her with a detailed letter explaining the importance of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism and urging the Pali High administration to adopt it. The letter was signed not only by all the Jewish student groups on campus, but it was co-signed by presidents of Latinx Student Union, Middle Eastern Student Union, South Asian Student Union, and Persian Student Union, along with over a hundred individual Pali High students.

We hope that Pali High will continue to fight antisemitism and protect Jewish students, and build a brighter future for all.

Joseph J. Karlan is a Senior at Palisades Charter High School.