Anya Kleinman

Good afternoon Dr. McKnight and members of the Board of Education. My name is Anya
Kleinman, I am a freshman at Richard Montgomery High School, and today, I am here to
discuss a matter that has become far more prevalent in recent months: antisemitism.

The Montgomery County Public School system has always been incredibly proactive in
addressing discrimination. Measures like the Antiracism System Audit have shed light on racial
harassment in the classroom and how we can start to address those problems.

However, despite these efforts, antisemitic bullying and harassment have not received the same
level of attention. And what is the result of this? Swastikas etched onto school desks and
bathroom stalls, hate speech in classrooms, and graffiti on school walls. This is creating an
unsafe and non-inclusive learning environment for the Jewish students of Montgomery County.

It is simple enough to wipe graffiti off a wall or erase a swastika from a desk, but the social and
emotional wounds caused by antisemitic attacks are not so easily removable. While
Montgomery County has strongly condemned antisemitic attacks on our schools, public
commentary and disciplinary action do not address the true crux of the problem: an astounding
lack of Holocaust education.

I have spoken with dozens of students across the county, and I have heard the same thing time
and time again; the Holocaust education that they receive in school is incohesive. There are
huge gaps in the curriculum, with 11th graders learning about the Final Solution two years after
9th graders cover World War II and Nazi Germany. This disjointed approach prevents students
from fully grasping the emotional impact and magnitude of the Holocaust.

The glaring deficiency in Holocaust knowledge and education is fueling the rise of antisemitism
in Montgomery County, which, according to the Montgomery County police department, has led
to a disturbing 55% surge in anti-Jewish bias incidents between 2021 and 2022. Given that
Montgomery County is Maryland's largest public school system, sufficient Holocaust education
is necessary.

And it is not an impossible task, either. If we look at the DC Public School System, we see the
Cornerstone Initiative, which requires every 10th grade student in World History II to visit the
Holocaust Museum and meet with a Holocaust survivor. The program has provided students
with a comprehensive and emotional understanding of the Holocaust, something that students
in Montgomery County lack.

We need to address this problem through curriculum changes, the introduction of new
programs, the approval of documentaries, and more required books that help students develop
an emotional understanding of the Holocaust.
Members of the Board of Education, at the end of the day, as we forge a path of countywide
acceptance and equality, students need to receive a more comprehensive education about the
significance of the Holocaust.

Thank you for your time!