Michael Newman OBE – Chief Executive, AJR said:
“No Jewish child should have to walk into school fearing hatred because of who they are. Yet three in five Jewish pupils surveyed have experienced antisemitism, with many lacking confidence that reporting incidents will lead to action. It is heartbreaking that children are facing such hostility in the very places where they should feel safest.
The Bell Report’s findings hit particularly close to home for AJR, which represents Holocaust refugees, survivors and the UK’s largest community of their descendants. For families whose lives were indelibly shaped by antisemitism, seeing Jewish children face such hatred in Britain today is particularly painful.
As the UK’s leading dedicated funder of Holocaust education, we recognise its vital role. But Holocaust education alone cannot tackle contemporary antisemitism. That is why AJR is expanding its funding to support projects that directly confront anti-Jewish racism, including convening a cross-sector steering group to develop a classroom resource addressing contemporary antisemitism. We owe it to those who survived, to the memory of those who perished, and to future generations to turn the lessons of the past into action today.
We welcome the Bell Report’s recommendations, but they must deliver meaningful change. Jewish children deserve more than words of concern.”
