JFEDLA’s Work in Ethnic Studies
As Ethnic Studies coursework is being developed and implemented in school districts throughout California, Jewish Federation Los Angeles (JFEDLA), in collaboration with a diverse group of partners, led an initiative to build an educational resource website to support educators in their curriculum development and in the teaching and learning of K-12 Ethnic Studies. This interactive website, ESResources.org, offers curricular materials in all categories of Ethnic Studies as well as grant funding opportunities for teachers.
Rooted in our Jewish values of education, social justice, love for our neighbors, and communal responsibility, the website aims to support California’s Ethnic Studies legislation, the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC), and our trailblazing educators who are the first to teach this subject as a state-mandated course. Studies affirm that Ethnic Studies coursework boosts achievement for students of all races and ethnic backgrounds by teaching them to think critically about our shared histories and to understand the experiences of marginalized communities.
JFEDLA is committed to ensuring that Ethnic Studies content, curricula, classrooms, and teacher trainings are free of antisemitism and anti-Israel biases and accurately reflect the Jewish American experience.
JFEDLA has a team of education professionals working to develop and sustain meaningful relationships with teachers, school district leaders, elected school board officials, and other education leaders to teach them about our community, our deep connection to Israel, our history, culture, and values, as well as to advance our sense of belonging in public schools. We provide firsthand educational opportunities, trainings, and resources about Jewish-Americans, Judaism, and Israel to educators from all sectors of the city and county. Ethnic Studies teachers are also invited to join our Holy Land Democracy Project, a program that brings secondary school teachers and education leaders from public and private schools on a life-changing trip to Israel.
To learn more about Ethnic Studies in K-12 education, please see JFEDLA’s Fact Sheet.
The Impact of Our Advocacy Work
- See this piece coauthored by JFEDLA President & CEO Rabbi Noah Farkas on embracing Ethnic Studies while working to ensure that it is free of antisemitic content.
- See the text of the legislation that mandates Ethnic Studies as a public high school graduation requirement, with the guardrails highlighted.
- See Assembly Bill 1468, which would establish clear, rigorous guidelines to ensure that Ethnic Studies is appropriately taught in schools.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom released a letter highlighting the guardrails within the law to ensure that Ethnic Studies will be free of bias and bigotry.
- Check out the ESMC’s sample lesson about Jewish Americans, written by Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa (JIMENA).
- Check out the ESMC’s second sample lesson about Jewish Americans, written by the Institute for Curriculum Services.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Education Policy Advisor’s letter to all school district superintendents, warning school districts not to hire vendors who promote curriculum that includes bias, bigotry, or discrimination.
- The Jewish Caucus shared this letter with all fellow members of the California Legislature emphasizing concerns about dangerous, antisemitic rhetoric and incidents at the K–12 and university levels.
- See this legal alert issued by the California Attorney General emphasizing that Ethnic Studies curricula does “not reflect or promote bias, bigotry, or discrimination.”
- Watch this webinar on the importance of Ethnic Studies and this webinar on the California Department of Education’s commitment to education that counters antisemitism.
For additional information, please contact Debby Berman, Director of Education and Community Outreach, at DBerman@JewishLA.org.