Students, rabbis and ADL urge Vermont to require Holocaust and antisemitism education

Montpelier — Students, rabbis and statewide advocates urged the Senate Committee on Education on Feb. 19 to require Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism education in Vermont public schools and to give teachers clearer training and protocols for responding to bias.

"Students have had pennies thrown at them, echoing stereotypes about Jews and money," Rabbi David Piggensolver said, recounting incidents in multiple districts that included swastikas in bathrooms and online harassment that led some students to hide their Jewish identity. Piggensolver, rabbi of the Jewish community of Greater Stowe, told the committee that the problem spans towns from Lamoille to Chittenden and stretches "across multiple schools and districts."

The hearing was a listening session rather than a bill debate, the chair said at the start. Still, testimony from young people and community groups repeatedly urged legislative action. "I urge this committee to introduce legislation mandating comprehensive Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism education across Vermont's K–12 schools," Samantha…