226 Results

10 Ways Youth Can Engage in Activism

Tools and Strategies

For Educators Our country has a long history of youth-led movements that brought about significant social change. Young people have advocated for child labor laws, voting rights, civil rights, school desegregation, immigration reform and LGBTQ+ rights. Through their actions, the world has changed. Because young people often have the desire, energy and idealism to do something about the injustice they see in the world, they are powerful agents for change. Our work in education helps…

January 17, 2017

Latest Campus Craze: Anti-Semitic Attacks

Media Watch

The following letter appeared in the New York Post on December 7, 2016. Letters to the Editor New York Post To the Editor: Andrea Peyser's column notes that "few places of learning are free from threats, harassment and verbal" attacks against Jews, while lamenting that protections afforded to those of the Jewish faith are few and far between. In fact, Congress has recently taken up this very issue. The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, which the Senate…

December 05, 2016

Can We Talk? Tips for Respectful Conversations in Schools, Workplaces and Communities

Tools and Strategies

Being able to have respectful and constructive conversations is the bedrock of any relationship—whether those connections take place at home, school, work or in communities. However, when controversy or conflict arises, the discussions can quickly become polarized, heated and personal, making it very difficult to have a conversation where different points of view are aired and discussed. These conversations can be about something controversial like politics, current events, moral…

January 01, 2017

Let's Talk Politics: Bias, Dialogue and Critical Thinking

Tools and Strategies

Teachers may want to engage young people in conversations about presidential and other elections and provide opportunities for students to learn more, ask questions and understand what they see and hear. Below are tips and strategies for engaging in these potentially contentious conversations in the classroom and doing so with a critical thinking and anti-bias lens. These strategies can also be used with other controversial issues that arise in your classroom. It is critical that students…

September 09, 2016

Jimmy Carter Wrong on 'Palestine'

Media Watch

Letters to the Editor The New York Times To the Editor: Re “America Must Recognize Palestine” (Nov. 29): As a staunch advocate of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I was appalled at Jimmy Carter's latest one-sided account of the decades-old struggle. His bias against Israel--he could only bring himself to talk, at length, about what’s wrong with Israeli policy--is disturbing enough, though not surprising. Far more…

November 29, 2016

How Can I Prevent Gender Bias in Young Children?

Tools and Strategies

Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers The foundation for gender identity formation gets established during the preschool years (Derman-Sparks and Edwards, 2010, 91). By age three, although most children can identify their gender, they are still sorting out the concept of gender (Roberts and Hill, 2003). “The support they get or do not get in their preschool years lays the foundation for the rest of their gender identity formation,”…

November 21, 2016

How Can I Plan Inclusive Holiday Celebrations?

Tools and Strategies

For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Most people love a celebration! Adults flutter around busily preparing for the festivities. Children are abuzz with excitement. Special foods are eaten, special heirlooms brought down from the shelf. Traditions are passed down from generation to generation. While children should have an opportunity to learn about and share information about the important holidays and celebrations in their lives, celebrating specific holidays in a school or…

November 21, 2016

Volkswagen Parts Ways with the Historian who Chronicled its Nazi Past

Media Watch

Letters to the Editor The New York Times To the Editor: Re “Volkswagen Parts Ways with the Historian who Chronicled its Nazi Past,” (Nov. 2): The Anti-Defamation League has found Volkswagen to be a reliable partner in addressing its World War II history and in promoting Holocaust education in general. The Volkswagen described by the Times is not the Volkswagen we have come to know and respect. Grieger because of the contents of his 2014 article. Yet there is…

November 14, 2016

11 Ways Schools Can Help Students Feel Safe in Challenging Times (In English and en Español)

Tools and Strategies

5th graders posing for a group shot in their classroom

In recent years, we have seen alarming images and biased language in schools and universities: name-calling, hate-filled taunts, vandalism, racial slurs and epithets, offensive graffiti on desks and bathroom walls. In addition, many young people—especially those whose identities have been targeted publicly with words and actions—are fearful and worried. Teachers have had to work overtime to console those students and provide resources to get help. Schools must be places where…

November 16, 2016

How Can I Help Children Appreciate Diversity?

Tools and Strategies

Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers You can help children embrace differences by exposing them to diversity as early as possible. This can be a natural part of everyday living as children develop relationships outside their family. Answer children’s questions about differences openly and honestly as they come up, and if you don't know the answers, seek them out. Another way to ensure diversity in children’s lives is to…

November 15, 2016

How Can Educators Effectively Involve Families in Anti-Bias Efforts?

Tools and Strategies

Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Incorporating family members into early childhood program’s anti-bias efforts is integral to its success. When children see their teachers value their families’ lives, they develop pride. They also have an opportunity to learn about other children’s families and the diversity inherent in them. Family members can be from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, speak multiple languages and…

November 07, 2016

Iran's Foreign Minister Ignores Regime's Role in Supporting Global Terrorism

Media Watch

The following letter appeared in The New York Times on September 16, 2016. Letters to the Editor: The New York Times Re “Rid the World of Wahabbism” (Op-Ed, Sept. 14): Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, raises a number of concerns about Wahabbism and the role it has played, particularly as an ideology that some in the Muslim world blame for inspiring terrorism. Unfortunately, in making these important points, Mr. Zarif ignores the Iranian regime…

September 14, 2016

Letters Against Israel Lack Perspective, Reality

Media Watch

Letters to the Editor Poughkeepsie Journal To the Editor: Recent letters published in the Poughkeepsie Journal utilize spurious claims and wild conspiracies to viciously attack Israel and question the U.S. relationship with the Jewish state (“ Police brutality in America mirrors current events in Israel,” July 31; “Israel lobby remains power danger to US,” Aug. 1). It is absurd to suggest that Israel is responsible for the actions of…

August 01, 2016

Incitement by Palestinian Fatah Party

Media Watch

The following letter appeared in The New York Times on August 6, 2016. Letters to the Editor The New York Times To the Editor: Re “Fatah Makes Public Claim That It Killed 11,000 Israelis” (Aug. 5): Sadly, celebrations of hatred, violence and terrorism are not anything new to Fatah. Just a few days ago, the Fatah media bureau website featured a caricature depicting a stereotypical bearded and hooknosed Jew lighting the fuse under a bomb that was aimed at Sunni and…

August 05, 2016

ADL on Black Lives Matter

Media Watch

The following letter appeared in the New York Jewish Week on July 27, 2016 Letters to the Editor New York Jewish Week To the Editor: We need to set the record straight on several points raised in a recent letter taking issue with the Anti-Defamation League’s efforts to advocate for the fair treatment of African-Americans at the hands of police (“Critical Of #BlackLivesMatter,” Letters, July 22). First of all, ADL has not endorsed the Black Lives Matter movement…

July 27, 2016

The Rest of the Story on the Establishment of Israel

Media Watch

Letters to the Editor Boulder Daily Camera To the Editor: Tom Mayer highlights the Palestinian perspective on Israel's establishment 68 years ago ("Hear about the Nakba," Daily Camera, May 17). He mischaracterized it as an "unrectified political crime." Mayer omitted important facts and the complexities of the conflict: • Jewish connection to the land of Israel goes back nearly four millennia. It is the cornerstone of Jewish life — embedded in prayer, ritual and…

May 20, 2016

Responding to Cyberhate

Tools and Strategies

Table Talk: Family Conversations About Current Events For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | 12 and UpNote to Parents/Family Members Because this topic deals with online hate—which young people may see, observe or experience—it is important that you talk with your child about safety and responsibility in their digital lives. You may want to review and consult our Navigating a Digital World: Tips for Youth, which includes suggestions for rule setting, limitations, privacy,…

May 18, 2016

Dan Patrick’s Rhetoric is Fictional

Media Watch

Letters to the Editor The Dallas Morning News To the Editor: Re: “Transgender battle — Patrick draws boos, again calls for superintendent’s ouster,” Thursday news story. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s rhetoric was filled with untruths as he advocated against the Fort Worth ISD policy, which allows transgender students to use restrooms in accordance with their gender identity. Patrick’s assertion about student safety is fictional. There simply is no…

May 16, 2016

Respect is a Summer Camp Essential

Tools and Strategies

Summer Camp Diverse Kids Sitting on Grass

A Guide for Counselors and Camp Administrators For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Summer camp is a wonderful time in children’s lives when they get to spend time outdoors, meet new people, have novel experiences and gain insight into themselves. There are about 12,000 day and resident camps in the U.S. and each year more than 11 million children and adults attend camp. According to an American Camp Association (ACA) report, parents cite the following reasons as the…

May 02, 2016

Commentary on Refugee Crisis Mischaracterizes the Issue

Media Watch

The following letter was written in response to an op-ed that appeared in the New Jersey Jewish News on April 28, 2016. Letters to the Editor New Jersey Jewish News Dear Editor: Jared Silverman’s commentary mischaracterizes the issue and underscores the very reasons the Anti-Defamation League continues to educate and advocate for a compassionate response to the refugee crisis. By conflating refugees with migrants and immigrants, Silverman confuses the issues and undermines…

April 28, 2016