To stop my son from presenting as Jewish at school

[Wonderberry]

I really wish this wasn't the case.

My son wants to wear his kippah (skullcap) at school. This is entirely his choice, and something that he has chosen to start wearing recently. He just wants to express his religious and cultural background.

Unfortunately, I don't feel like he would be safe to do so. I hate that this is where we are at currently in the UK, but I know it is the reality. He goes to a community school in London, and doesn't understand why he cannot wear his kippah at school. On cultural days, he also cannot share his culture either.

I think you are deliberately misinterpreting those who want Israel to stop the genocide in Palestine as being anti semitic. Are you honestly telling me you have seen an NHS practitioner, in work uniform, wearing a 'death to the Jews' slogan. I would be very surprised.

Well- it was in Australia but there was this ...

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-02-13/australian-hospital-examines-patient-records-after-nurse-claims-to-have-killed-israelis

I have seen nurses wear “Free Palestine” badges. A lot of people believe this to mean that Israel should be wiped out to become a Palestinian state. That means we can kiss goodbye to Jewish people in the ME they wouldn’t last 2 minutes. Can you understand why a Jewish person requiring an intimate exam for example would feel unsafe by someone wearing a badge like this? It’s entirely inappropriate for HCPs to wear poltical statements on their uniform.

We use the HET lessons on the Holocaust which are excellent and cover all the points to which you have referred. However. Every year we have students who say it didn't happen. If they are brought up like this, immersed in this sort of propaganda, we've already lost.

That’s absolutely horrific. Where do they get this idea?

It’s so batshit to me that there are people still wilfully conflating “Jewish” and “Israeli” (and from I can see this happens across the socio-political spectrum, from both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli supporters).

But a 7 year old boy should be able to display his ethno-cultural/religious identity with zero risk of harm. It’s diabolical he cannot.

I think I am in the camp that I would let him wear his yarmulke if he wishes but I know if I had a child and was able to hide part of his identity I knew could cause issues for him I would be tempted to do so.

i am pretty sure from the username that @Yehud is Jewish, and thinks that Jewish children should go to a Jewish school because they will get a Jewish education, among other benefits. She (or he) is not saying that Jewish children should not be allowed to attend non Jewish schools!

I think it's just classic racism... Suggesting that any religious group or ethnic group (or both) are one homogeneous group who all share the same views and actions as opposed to an array of individuals.

I think that what is happening is that the more mainstream view in the UK now is that Israel are committing genocide in Palestine and there are some Jewish people who will still try and vocally suggest that it is not genocide, that mass killing of children and civilians is somehow justified.

Whilst I am sure that this is not the view held by all Jewish people, I think that there are few outside the Jewish community who now hold this view and this is being wrongly conflated with the idea that all Jews support Israel and Netanyahu.

It's basically racism...othering and marginalising a group.

But it isn’t necessarily true that people wearing Free Palestine badges believe Israel should be wiped out.

They are told these lies. You should see the stuff we have found them sharing online. One boy's creations for TikTok would have made Julius Streicher proud and I'm not even kidding.
I've been a teacher for a long time. This is the worst I've known it.

@Wonderberry I agree with a PP that (very sadly and wrongly) it might be safest to have him not wear it to school, but to wear it when he is playing with his friends who also wear one. Could he wear a pendant under his clothes instead? It might be somewhat of a compromise, and he can still be proud of his religion.

It's because there were houses in my area after October 7th that were targeted because of their mezuzah. Delivery drivers "accidentally" bashing into them, delightful teenagers going around doing the Nazi salute to them (this went to court thanks to ring doorbells), egging etc. I have young kids and that's made me very risk-averse!

YANBU, and I hate it. it's where we are though. the pro Palestinian wing of general left wing politics seems to be amongst the most vicious and hateful. and currently widely tolerated.

Oh for goodness sake. Free Palestine means nothing of the sort. It's means free people living under genocide.
This sort of nonsense makes people fail to take genuine cases of anti semitism.
You are basically saying that anyone who opposes genocide in Gaza is antisemitic?
You are not helping your cause at all with such nonsense.

I would say it is very rarely true. Just like most people who wear a cross are not IRA supporters and most people who wear hijab are not ISIS supporters.
This is exactly the sort of trope that people are complaining is leveled at Jews!

I am so sorry, we are not Jewish but my English side of the family had Jewish refugees in WW2 and my Mum had many Jewish friends. The rise of anti semitism is awful and doesn’t seem to make mainstream media much. I saw a clip of a bus with children from a Jewish school being attacked in London towards the end of last year. When I was at school we had one Jewish child in the whole school, this was the 1970’s and quite rural. All I remember was us feeling sorry she wasn’t allowed to come to the school Christmas party.

As much as he should be proud I can see why you don’t want him to wear it.

@JandamiHash Blair converted to Catholicism after he was PM. The first Catholic PM ever was Boris Johnson.

Well that's just as bad. Saying that a Jewish child only belongs with other Jewish children- segregated. That never helps anything!
(And I feel the same way about CE, Catholic and Islamic schools for reference).

But how will a Jewish person know either way?

Not everyone who wears a free Palestine badge is antisemitic. But all antisemites will express this view. So surely the answer is to ensure Jewish people feel safe over the rights of HCPs to express their opinions on their uniform?

unfortunately this thread has just proven my original point. It’s just not safe. You will spend time every day defending your right to exist, your child will be pointed out at school and you will be assumed to represent an entire group of people by simply being open about who you are. You might actually get physically attacked. If you want this battle I applaud you and stand by you (here!) but I’m not judging you if it’s not what you can cope with at this moment.

With respect it doesn’t mean that to everyone.

You are basically saying that anyone who opposes genocide in Gaza is antisemitic?

No. but all antisemites support Gaza. How is a Jewish person supposed to know the difference? Unless you think their safety comes second to a HCP expressing their political opinions.

Im pretty sure I’m not the reason antisemitism isn’t taken seriously but nice try

So as far as you are concerned it is inherently anti semitic to wear a Free Palestine badges believe- that is the assumption you will always make about anyone you see wearing one? I don’t assume that all Jewish people are supportive of the actions of the Israeli government - plenty don’t.

Because people who are against genocide are against people being killed and suffering!
You have come to perceive that anyone who does not support Israel's actions must hate Jews and want to harm them. That is the exact opposite of what people campaigning to free Gaza from genocide want. They want peace and safety!

And yet they didn't march or protest after the Supernova massacre.

These are absolutely racist tropes. But that is what racism is ... Negative tropes projected on a group of people because of their ethnicity or religion. I think that this needs to be taught.
It would be helpful I think to examine examples of how this has played out against certain groups.
I don't think that antisemitism needs to be taught as a separate special case whilst all other forms of racism are lumped together.