Hasofer said the hate has had a “corrosive” impact on the school, and education was “constantly disrupted”.
“Our teachers are drained. Our wellbeing team is overstretched. Our leaders are operating like a counterterrorism unit, and this has become our normal,” she said.
Principal Linda Emms, from Emanuel School in Randwick, said the school had been forced to divert funds to security to ensure children are safe.
She said students were sometimes targeted as they travel to and from school, in public places, before and after school, online and on the sporting field, detailing an incident where an 11-year-old child was “taunted” with comments of “Heil Hitler” while playing sport.
She said students “hid their Jewish identity in public by covering their uniforms”.
“I couldn’t have imagined anything like this before taking a role at a Jewish school,” said Emms, admitting the school had to “reallocate significant funds to cover the costs of additional guarding measures”.
Moriah College’s security costs have risen from $2.1 million to $3.9 million since October 7, the inquiry heard.
Sharonne Lipman is the parent of two Jewish girls, she worries about their future given antisemitism in schools.Credit: Steven Siewert
For Sydney Jewish mother Sharonne Lipman, sheltering her two girls from antisemitism has been a constant cause of anxiety.
Her 11-year-old daughter attends a Jewish school that was vandalised with antisemitic graffiti, and the family live down the road from a Maroubra preschool that was firebombed in January.
“I am trying to protect them. If you don’t put a filter on it, it is just way too much for their brains to comprehend,” she said.
“You hear about the stories of kids getting taunted and exposed to the most horrific slurs at the other schools in our area.
“I am honestly petrified at what these kids are going to be exposed to.”
A 2024 report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) found there were 2062 anti-Jewish incidents logged between October 2023 and September 2024.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
Read the full article here
