Reversing the left’s long march through U.S. institutions is a priority for the Trump administration. But as JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin points out, the surrender of liberals to racialist neo-Marxist surge has not only fueled antisemitism but undermined faith in liberal values throughout society. That’s what enabled woke progressives to take over American education.
He’s joined in this week’s “Think Twice” by Brandy Shufutinsky, director of Education and Community Engagement with the North American Values Institute (NAVI). According to Shufutinsky, classical liberal values that encourage diversity of thought and opinion, as well as free speech and expression, are under siege in American society. They’ve largely been abandoned by the educational establishment that now values ideology over scholarship.
Shufutinsky points out that this assault on values has led to a situation where schools, especially at the K-12 level, are failing because of the way teachers’ unions have embraced leftist ideology. But they’ve also been the engine driving the post-Oct. 7 surge in antisemitism. Woke ideology, including diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) seeks not just to divide people but to keep them in a state where they’re constantly at odds with one another. If you look at the Marxist roots of some of this ideology, the whole idea of continuous revolution is built into that framework.
She also believes that the imposition of ethnic-studies requirements in schools has been used to impose more such ideological distortions. “ Ethnic studies is the study of oppression, the oppression binary.
“That’s it,” says Shufutinsky. “It has nothing to do with increasing kids’ knowledge of black history or having kids learn about immigrants. It is based on the oppression binary. So, when we talk about how it fuels antisemitism or maybe we could put some guardrails on it, it’s the lipstick on a pig theory.”
Part of the reason why hatred is spreading is due to the failure of Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League. “The ADL has been set up to address the type of antisemitism that many American Jews were used to recognizing, which is coming from neo-Nazis and the far right,” says Shufutinsky. The ADL wasn’t set up to address Islamist anti-Semitism or antisemitism that’s coming from neo-Marxist ideology, which constitutes the main contemporary threat to American Jewry.
She believes the only effective answer to the problem is a combination of government action, such as the Trump administration’s efforts to defund schools that enable Jew-hatred, but also parental activism.
“You have to know what’s going on,” says Shufutinsky. What are your kids learning? What’s happening in their classroom? What material are they being assigned? What books are they being told to read? Who are their teachers? Who is their school district bringing in to do teacher training? Is it one of these activist groups that we know want kids to walk out of school and support Hamas? Know what’s happening in your kids’ school and then get involved.”
JNS will host its inaugural International Policy Summit on Monday, April 28, 2025. This daylong event will convene government officials, policymakers, diplomats, security experts, leaders of pro-Israel organizations, and influencers for vital discussions aimed at addressing Israel’s critical challenges and opportunities in a post-Oct. 7 world.
Registration at this point is for invitees only. However, you can submit a request for registration in the following link.
Listen/Subscribe to weekly episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Watch new episodes every week by subscribing to the JNS YouTube Channel.