A Jewish family transferred their 9-year-old son from a state primary school in north London to a Jewish school after a teacher allegedly told him that Jews were responsible for the October 7 massacre. According to a report in the Jewish Chronicle, the parents approached the school administration and requested antisemitism awareness training for teaching staff but said they did not receive a satisfactory response.
The father, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Jewish newspaper that he had spoken with his son about the Hamas attack and the participants at the Nova music festival. The following day, the boy told his teacher about the conversation, and according to the child, she replied, "Actually it's the opposite." The father said his son understood her remarks to mean that Jews had attacked Palestinians. He alleged that the teacher's comments appeared to justify Hamas' actions and that she referred to the terrorists as "freedom fighters."
Gallery
Memorial to the victims of the Nova music festival massacre
(Photo: AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Following the incident, the father arranged a meeting with the school's deputy headteacher. According to him, the deputy took notes on his complaint and said the matter would be addressed with the teacher. However, the father said he received no update on how the complaint was handled, despite contacting the school office and sending a follow-up email.
In the email, obtained by the Jewish Chronicle, the father asked whether the incident was being investigated and whether any action had been taken. He also asked whether the school would consider training staff to recognize and address antisemitism, offering to help identify organizations that could provide appropriate training.
The father also suggested that the teacher visit an exhibition about the Nova massacre that was being held in London at the time to gain a better understanding of the events. According to him, he was told in response: "We can't force the staff into politics."
"This is not politics. This is an event now marked in history. Innocent people have been murdered," the father replied. On the final day of the school year, he also approached the headteacher, but said he was told she was not involved in the matter and that her deputy would contact him.
"As a parent, I was devastated," the father told the Jewish Chronicle. "We felt forced to move our son out of his school, and were desperate."
Hamas terrorists on October 7
(Photo: AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)
According to the report, this was not the first time the boy had encountered hostility because of his Jewish identity. Last year, when he was 8, he praised Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, who represented Israel at Eurovision, while at school. In response, another student shouted "Fuck Israel" at him, while two other students chanted "Free Palestine."
The father said his son's experiences at school had taken an emotional toll on him and that returning to school had not been easy. At the beginning of the current school year, the family secured a place for him at a Jewish school. According to his father, the boy's emotional well-being began to improve within weeks.
"Every day at pick-up, we see him with a smile on his face, chatty and energised from his day," the father said. "He seems to be rebuilding the self-confidence that he totally lost."
The father added that the incidents had destroyed his trust in the non-Jewish education system and that he would never again send his son to a non-Jewish school.
The case also prompted reactions from Jewish organizations in Britain. A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) said the incident highlighted the urgent need to publish the findings of Sir David Bell, who was appointed last year by the British Department for Education to examine the extent of antisemitism in schools and higher education institutions.