Jewish teens ask rights bill

Citing rising anti-Semitism, Club Z, a national Zionist youth movement, is calling for government bodies to pass a series of anti-discrimination laws known as the Jewish Students Bill of Rights.

The proposed laws were included in a report to the California Department of Education, US Department of Education and California Legislative Jewish Caucus.

The report cites biased textbooks, funding from Gulf Nations, and curricula proposals as some of the main drivers of anti-Semitism in K-12 public schools. Club Z teens and other K-12 students face environments where “Jewish students are openly ridiculed by their classmates and teachers,” according to the report.

“Jewish students aren’t just being targeted on college campuses, but in high school, middle school and even elementary school,” said Boris Bukchin, an 11th-grader in Palo Alto, Calif. “It’s hard for a teenager to push back when teachers spread hateful ideas about Jewish history and Israel.”

The bill’s preamble says it is necessary “to guarantee an education without fear of harassment, intimidation or violence on the basis of our identity.”