Massachusetts Educators Visit Israel to Confront Rising Antisemitism in Schools

The July trip brought local teachers and administrators to Israel, with only one Jewish participant among them.

By Shula Rosen

A group of public school teachers from Massachusetts traveled to Israel this summer on an educational mission designed to address antisemitism in local classrooms and deepen understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The initiative was led by Rabbi Amy Wallk and funded by the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and the Jewish Endowment Foundation’s Lynn and William Foggle 50th Anniversary Fund for Israel Study.

The program was launched in response to incidents in area schools. One case involved a classroom that listed Gaza City alongside global capitals such as Tokyo and London.

In another, a teacher singled out the only Jewish student in class to identify “Palestine” on a map. Such examples reflect what Wallk described as a “not-so-subtle rise in antisemitism” in Massachusetts public schools.

The situation prompted the state legislature to establish a special commission to combat antisemitism.

The July trip brought local teachers and administrators to Israel, with only one Jewish participant among them.

Its purpose, Wallk explained to eJewishphilanthropy, was threefold: “to help participants appreciate the Jewish people’s historic attachment to the land of Israel, to bear witness to the atrocities of Oct. 7, and to engage with the complexity of contemporary Israeli life.”

Teachers visited Jerusalem’s Old City, the City of David, Hezekiah’s Water Tunnel, and the Southern Wall excavations, gaining perspective on more than 3,000 years of Jewish presence.

Stops at Masada, Qumran, and the Judean Desert further highlighted the breadth of Israel’s history and diversity.

The group also confronted Israel’s recent trauma. They met a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, toured Kibbutz Kfar Azza with residents and IDF soldiers, and ate lunch in Sderot, just a mile from the Gaza border.

In Tel Aviv, the delegation visited Hostages’ Square, where families of those still held in Gaza continue their vigil.

“The purpose was to ensure educators understood the trauma that Israelis are feeling,” Wallk said. With about 50 hostages still captive, she added, the pain extends far beyond the Gaza Envelope and remains a daily reality across the country.