UK adopts sweeping plan against antisemitism in schools; teachers union pushes back

The UK has adopted 27 recommendations to combat antisemitism in English schools, following a review that found 60% of Jewish students experienced antisemitism. The government will encourage schools to adopt the IHRA definition. The National Education Union opposed the definition, with its general secretary saying it risks blurring the line between antisemitism and criticism of Israel. The Board of Deputies of British Jews praised the measures.

The UK government has adopted sweeping measures to combat antisemitism in English schools, accepting 27 recommendations from a government-commissioned review. The review, published on Wednesday, found that three in five Jewish students reported experiencing antisemitism, most commonly through jokes, stereotypes and comments about Jewish people. The government will encourage schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. The National Education Union, the largest teachers' union in the UK, pushed back against the definition, with general secretary Daniel Kebede saying it risks blurring the line between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israel and the genocide in Gaza. The Board of Deputies of British Jews praised the report and the government's adoption of its measures. The review was commissioned following a spate of high-profile attacks on Jews in Britain, including a fatal attack on a synagogue in Manchester last year on Yom Kippur.