TOOLS FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

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Educate yourself and your children about Israel:
Expose your children to the beauty and history of Israel. Help them understand the complexities, nuances, and false claims they might encounter at school or online. Spark interest and discussion by learning together and sharing articles, videos, and book recommendations. Reach out to StandWithUs for help addressing specific topics. Family trips to Israel are always important. Showing your children that Israel and Jewish pride are important to you and other family members will help make it a priority for them, too.

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Stay informed:
Stay up-to-date on global and local news and share with your children. Talk about misinformation and disinformation about Israel online and share appropriate tools to identify propaganda and respond where possible and strategic. Consider writing a letter to the editor, for example, when stories leave out context or show clear bias against Israel, and share your letter with your whole family. Follow StandWithUs on social media and share content.

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Open Dialogue
Encourage your children to ask questions and share their experiences about being Israeli and/or Jewish. Having conversations at home will help prepare students to have conversations with their peers and teachers. Share the StandWithUs booklet regarding answering difficult questions about Israel on our website.

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Encourage Your Children to Find a Like-Minded Community. This is Also Important For You:
This is an important time to surround oneself with like-minded people who support one another. Encourage students to identify youth groups, school clubs, and local organizations that provide education and community for Jewish students. Connect with other parents or stakeholders at your child’s high school or college who care about these issues like you do and want to help; communicate about local incidents and school climate and work together to elevate complaints and fight for change. Join relevant WhatsApp or Facebook groups to discuss strategies and get support.

Know your rights:
Familiarize yourself with your child’s school policies and their legal rights as Israelis and as Jews. Keep communication lines open with your child’s teachers, school counselors, and campus officials to stay informed about their experiences and ensure they are supported. Most schools publish their code of conduct, student constitution, or bylaws online. Public schools are considered government entities, which means that discrimination or harassment against Jews or Israelis is prohibited, and they can impose reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on expression. Private schools have more leeway to restrict or even prohibit hate speech. While hate speech is generally protected by the First Amendment, it may be restricted if it threatens or incites violence. If you would like to learn more about student rights on campus, please review these fact sheets on diverse legal topics. To report or ask about an antisemitic or anti-Israeli incident, fill out this form here.

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Teach your children about historical and contemporary antisemitism:
Make sure your children can recognize, define, and identify antisemitism. It has often been described as the world’s oldest hatred because it changes over time and can come from across the political spectrum, so it can be hard to identify. If we cannot define it, we cannot defeat it: Use the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and view the StandWithUs selection of booklets on antisemitism, the history of Israel, and the Jewish connection to Israel (and more) on our website. When you see reports of antisemitic incidents affecting students, talk to your children about why the incident was problematic and ask what they would do if something similar happened to them. Talking through appropriate responses and action steps will help your children feel more prepared to address antisemitism if they encounter it.

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Encourage your children to document antisemitism if they experience it:
Do your best to document instances of discrimination whenever you encounter them and teach your children to do the same. Take photos and videos, and file complaints and incident reports. Email your concerns to relevant teachers and administrators and save the emails. If you have an in-person meeting, take notes and follow up with an email to recap what was discussed. Students may need to file police reports. Report antisemitic incidents on the StandWithUs website here.

Encourage your family to practice mental and physical health by sharing this list of suggestions that are also applicable to parents:
• Eat healthy foods.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Exercise—find your favorite way to stay active. Don’t sit all day; it’s a huge no-no.
• Manage your time better; set boundaries and leave time for things you love.
• Find your community! Spend time with like-minded people, family, and those who feel as you do.
• Listen to music you love. Music is healing.
• Practice meditation, deep breathing, and/or prayer—they can be very healing
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Pay attention to your mental health. Reach out to a mental health professional if you feel you need some extra support.
• Do what you love more often.
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Sleep! It’s tempting to keep going, but everyone needs to recharge with seven to nine hours of sleep each night. 

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Amplify your own voice: 
Parents of college students are encouraged to join Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) to make an impact and drive meaningful change at your alma mater. ACF empowers alumni to confront antisemitism and anti-Israel bias by leveraging their influence, supporting student advocacy, and holding universities accountable. Also consider joining social media groups that are like-minded and strategic.

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Be safe and alert. 
Walking at night should be done in groups. Taunting angry people who are protesting against Israel or Jews could lead to violence. Visit our new StaySafe page, dedicated to helping students stay safe on campus.

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Tell your story. Be proud! 
Talk about what being Israeli, Jewish, and feeling connected to Israel means to you and encourage your children to think about what being Jewish means to them. Share your family history and traditions with your children. Wear your pride! Whether it is a Star of David or chai necklace, a kippah, a t-shirt from camp, or a yellow ribbon, encourage your children to show their pride in personal ways.

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