Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

Resources to Address Antisemitism and Commemorate Jewish American Heritage Month

The month of May is Jewish American Heritage Month. California is home to the second-largest Jewish population in the United States. Jewish Californians represent a unique patchwork of diverse journeys and intersectional identities, including Eastern European Jews who immigrated to the Golden State through Angel Island, Iranian Jews who have made an indelible impact on the Los Angeles area, and the many Jewish Californians who are members of multiracial, interfaith families.

It was my honor to attend the commemoration of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) on the floor of the California State Senate earlier this month and to meet with Holocaust survivors and their descendants who call our state home.

As we celebrate the diversity of Jewish American culture and the important contributions of Jewish Americans to our communities, we also sadly grapple with the recent killings of diplomats Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside of a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. I am shocked and saddened by this senseless violence, which does nothing to create peace and must be condemned in the absolute.

As educators, we have the responsibility to prepare pedagogical opportunities for young Californians to provide them with historical context and prepare them for an ever-changing world. Educators who recognize Jewish American Heritage Month in their classrooms and school communities may find themselves faced with questions about current events and Jewish culture. Here are some educational resources to support these activities:

• Sample Lessons 30 and 31 from the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, which include content addressing Jewish identity, intersectionality, and antisemitism: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/documents/esmcchapter4.pdf
• Educator Resources to Support Teaching About Jewish American Heritage Month: https://jewishamericanheritage.org/educator-resources/
• Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation Resource Page on Jewish Refugees, which includes information about Jewish refugees who migrated to California through Angel Island: https://www.aiisf.org/mosaic-profiles/jewishrefugees

As the school year comes to an end, I also want to highlight a great opportunity for professional development this summer. Applications for teachers to attend the Summer Institute of the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education, co-hosted by CDE, remain open. The California Teachers Collaborative is an official statewide resource for professional learning on Holocaust and genocide education that works in collaboration with CDE. To date, the Collaborative has trained over 3000 educators across our state. I encourage any interested educator to take advantage of the Summer Institute at https://cateacherscollaborative.org/summer-institute-2025/, which is a free, high-quality professional learning opportunity.

All local educational agencies (LEAs) have an obligation under Title VI to provide learning environments free from bias or discrimination, including on the basis of antisemitism. Through my Education to End Hate initiative, we have worked to directly address antisemitism and hate of any kind by providing professional learning opportunities to educators and bringing survivor testimony to classrooms in schools across California. If your LEA is in need of support to address antisemitism or any kind of hate, please reach out to Initiatives@cde.ca.gov.

Thank you for everything you do on behalf of all California students. Together, we can build resilient school communities where every child can learn and belong.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction