Most schools in the EU do not provide protection for Jewish students

The data reveals a disconnect between policy and reality. EU member states frequently tout initiatives regarding inclusion and “learning from history,” yet the day-to-day realities of the classroom tell a different story:

• Overall, 78% of surveyed teachers have observed at least one antisemitic incident among students, and 27% report having witnessed nine or more such incidents.
• Holocaust denial or distortion was encountered by 61% of teachers.
• At the same time, the findings reveal a serious gap in preparedness: 70% of teachers received no professional training on how to respond to contemporary antisemitism.

Educators are consequently left ill-equipped to navigate a complex minefield of conspiracy myths, imported hatred, and social media disinformation. Without the tools to identify and dismantle these narratives, teachers often become silent bystanders to the normalization of hate.

The “elephant” in the classroom: anti-Zionism

A critical component of this rising tide is the mutation of antisemitism into anti-Zionism. The findings show that nearly half of the teachers encountered hateful comments related to Israel. This is the modern guise of the oldest hatred: students shouting slogans to justify bullying Jewish classmates rather than to critique any government policy.

European educational bodies often struggle to address this specific virulence. There is a comfort zone in mourning the victims of the Holocaust, alongside a paralysis when it comes to defending living Jews who support Zionism – the right of the Jewish people to self-determination.

Effective opposition to antisemitism in EU classrooms requires confronting it in all forms. If an educator cannot explain why calling for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state is an assault on Jewish identity, the educational mission has failed. Protecting Jewish life means protecting the whole identity, including the connection to Israel. Attempting to slice up Jewish identity to fit a comfortable European narrative – accepting Jews as victims of the past while rejecting them as sovereign actors in the present – is morally untenable, strategically self-defeating, and has visibly failed.

The role of UNESCO

The source of this report adds a layer of deep irony to the findings. For decades, UNESCO has operated as a reliable theater for diplomatic hostility against the Jewish state. It has frequently passed resolutions erasing Jewish ties to holy sites in Jerusalem and Hebron, earning the valid distrust of Jewish communities worldwide. That this specific body is the one to quantify the failure of European schools makes the data even more damning. It suggests the problem has become too massive for even historically biased institutions to ignore.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has weighed in on this complex dynamic in a public statement in 2025. They acknowledge that UNESCO’s history is rightfully questioned, yet they identify a pragmatic necessity in the current moment. Viewed in this light, when a body often hostile to Israel publishes data validating Jewish fears, the findings may carry a different weight for European bureaucrats than reports from Jewish NGOs.

Finally, surveys are insufficient without action. The data demands a comprehensive overhaul of how antisemitism is treated in European schools.

John Meister