Religion Education and Antisemitism in British and American Public Schools

Antisemitism is a persistent and growing problem worldwide, including the United States and United Kingdom, and education is often cited as the most important way to reduce its effects. But school-based religion education (RE) is not immune to bias, and even well-designed programs can fail to address theological, cultural, racial, and political biases that undergird antisemitism. This roundtable session examines the nature and scope of antisemitism in public school systems in the UK and USA (with reference to other national school systems), including the efforts to address antisemitism through inter-religious dialogue and education in curricula, textbooks and special programs. Experts will present research on existing RE programs in the UK and USA, and share their experience in designing them, along with the challenges of defining and addressing the problem in the political and educational spheres.