I’m a High School student in New York City, and I’m proud to be a Jew. As an active member of the Jewish Student Union, I’m here to speak about an issue that has shaken me to my core – a story that will demand attention, outrage, and hopefully, action.

For over a century, our High School has been a beacon of academic excellence, and I’ve always hoped to find a community that stands against hatred in all its forms. But recent events have shattered that illusion. A couple of months ago, our school newspaper, published a despicable hit piece against Israel – the only Jewish state in the world. The lies in that article were absurd and ranged from accusations of forced sterilization to accusations of mass child abduction.

As I and my fellow Jewish students read that article in our school newspaper, we were shocked with a profound sense of isolation. We realized that the ugly cancer that is Jewish Racism is not only present within our own school walls but is authorized and condoned by some of our peers. Since October 7th, we’ve had to endure a barrage of anti-Semitic rhetoric from our own peers, including school-sanctioned clubs. We’ve been denied the truth about the well-documented rape and slaughter of Israeli civilians, and instead, we’ve been told that their suffering is more than deserved.

We’ve been called “Zionist pigs” and told that we think the world revolves around us. These are the same peers we have to face every day in our classrooms, on our teams, and in our clubs. Between mid-October and March, a number of students and parents brought this to the attention of the school administration, but we were met with nothing but cold indifference.

We were ignored in our time of need, turned away by a phony administration willing only to listen passively but never speak let alone act. We pleaded with the superintendent’s office and then produced a dossier for the Chancellor’s office, including the Spectator article and many documented instances of anti-Semitic harassment. But it was all in vain.

You may think that what I’ve told you here today is just the testimony of one student at one school. But I assure you that this is just a microcosm of a far more pervasive issue tormenting the entire New York City public school system. Therefore, we have been left with no choice but to ask Congress to intervene.

As I stand before you today, I’m not just speaking for myself or my fellow Jewish students. I’m speaking for the countless students who have suffered in silence, who have been made to feel unsafe and unwelcome in their own schools. I’m speaking for the parents who have pleaded for change but have been met with empty promises.

I’m asking for your attention, your outrage, and your action. We can’t continue to turn a blind eye to this epidemic of Jewish Racism. We can’t continue to ignore the suffering of our Jewish students. We must take action to ensure that every student feels safe, respected, and valued in their school.

This isn’t just about us; it’s about every student who has ever felt marginalized, excluded, or persecuted. It’s about every student who has ever felt like they don’t belong. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and future generations to take a stand against hatred and intolerance. Thank you.