News Jewish groups applaud revisions to California ethnic-studies curriculum The changes came in response to objections over the original draft for containing anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content. Jackson Richman CopyLink copied Email Print Republish The flag of California. Credit: Wikimedia Commons. The flag of California. Credit: Wikimedia Commons. (Nov. 22, 2020 / JNS) Jewish and pro-Israel groups have applauded revisions to California’s proposed ethnic-studies curriculum, which were approved this week by an advisory board to the state’s board of education. The Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) voted on Thursday—the second and final day of a meeting—to adopt changes, including the removal of a widely criticized lesson that framed the Jewish community as having “gained racial privilege,” while ignoring anti-Semitism and white supremacist violence against Jews. The IQC meeting included two hours of phoned-in public comment on Wednesday. A number of Jewish students stressed the importance of educating about all forms of anti-Semitism and the diversity of the Jewish community. Simultaneously, anti-Israel commenters blasted Jewish groups, equated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the Holocaust and opposed efforts to make the curriculum more balanced and inclusive. The changes came in response to Jewish and pro-Israel groups expressing objections over the original draft curriculum for containing anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content, in addition to not addressing issues of anti-Semitism or including Jewish Americans. “Positive changes were made to include Jews and add safeguards against hate and bias in the curriculum,” said StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein in a statement. “While the curriculum is headed in the right direction, there are still key changes we all have to fight for. Among the most important is a strong definition of anti-Semitism in all its forms, rather than a weak definition that caters to the biases of anti-Israel extremists.” Sarah Levin, executive director of JIMENA: Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, told JNS that her organization was “pleased with the inclusion of Middle Eastern American experiences, specifically the lesson plan, ‘Anti-Semitism and Middle Eastern Jewish Americans.’ ” And the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council tweeted: “This week’s IQC meeting proved encouraging—salutary recommendations were approved, including important protections for all students and the addition of lessons on the Jewish American experience.” The California Department of Education is expected to post the next draft of the curriculum for public review in December.

I ask for a better world, sure have, again and again, been giving out these magic awards, and perhaps someone was listening to the idea of it all. Even a computer perhaps can grasp the concept.

My family lived there..

I have arrived at a faith in God. To me this means that God is a friend. The kind of friend that is required to be healthy. Certainly not an ordinary friend, but there, and there for you. For me anyway, a very good friend. Nothing wrong with that, in fact it only can make life better, not worse. Evidence seekers may find not enough to prove God exists, but no evidence is needed really.

Evil is lurking! So where do they actuall y find anti-zionist material being taughtAnti-Zionist and controversial Middle East content has generally not been part of California's official state-approved curriculum. Instead, it has surfaced primarily through local school districts that hired outside, private consulting groups or developed their own materials independently.The primary vehicle for this content is a framework called the "Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum" (LESMC), which was created by activist educators who felt the state's official guidelines were too watered down.Specific examples of where this material has appeared and what it included include:1. Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD)In early 2025, SAUSD settled a major lawsuit brought by a coalition of Jewish organizations (including the Anti-Defamation League and the Brandeis Center).The Content: Court documents and text messages revealed that a steering committee developed courses behind closed doors. The materials included characterizations of Israel as a "European settler colonial state" and sought to entirely omit Jewish history. The district also hired a consulting firm, the Xicanx Institute for Teaching and Organizing, whose consultants openly promoted anti-Zionist views.The Outcome: The district agreed to completely halt and redesign three ethnic studies courses.2. San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)San Francisco has been a major battleground for localized curriculum choices.The Content: Prior to 2026, SFUSD used a "homegrown" ethnic studies curriculum that faced severe backlash from local parents and lawmakers. Contested lessons included an activity where high school students were instructed to role-play as Israeli soldiers herding Palestinians into refugee camps, as well as presentations that critics argued utilized antisemitic caricatures to illustrate stereotypes.The Outcome: In mid-2026, the district voted to permanently replace its original curriculum with a standardized textbook and guide ("Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey") that sidestepped the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to avoid further polarization.3. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)LAUSD has faced prolonged legal battles from groups like the Concerned Jewish Parents and Teachers of Los Angeles.The Content: The lawsuit alleged that individual teachers and administrators were surreptitiously introducing the "Liberated" curriculum framework into classrooms. This framework uses maps that depict all of modern-day Israel as Palestine, defines Zionism as inherently violent or colonial, and promotes the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.The Outcome: Federal judges repeatedly dismissed these specific lawsuits on technical grounds (lack of standing), ruling that plaintiffs could not prove a unified, district-wide mandate was actively forcing students to learn the material, or that encountering conflicting political views constituted a legal injury.State-Level PushbackBecause of these localized incidents, California passed legislation creating a statewide Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator and a mandate requiring all ethnic studies materials to be factually accurate, balanced, and free from partisan advocacy. This has forced many local districts to freeze their independent ethnic studies programs to avoid legal exposure.