UNESCO Warns Antisemitism Widespread in EU Classrooms, Calls for Urgent Teacher Training

In partnership with the European Commission and the OSCE, UNESCO has expanded a dedicated training programme on addressing antisemitism to all EU Member States in 2025.

Antisemitism is a daily reality in many European classrooms, with more than three quarters of teachers across the European Union reporting antisemitic incidents among students, according to a new UNESCO report released on Holocaust Remembrance Day, with support from the European Commission.

The survey-based report, Addressing antisemitism through education: a survey of teachers' knowledge and understanding, draws on responses from 2,030 teachers in 23 EU countries and represents the first Europe-wide study of teachers’ experiences and perceptions of antisemitism in schools.

Alarming levels of denial, hate symbols and violence

The findings reveal deeply troubling trends:

• 78% of teachers encountered at least one antisemitic incident between students

• 27% witnessed nine or more incidents

• 61% reported Holocaust denial or distortion among students, with 11% encountering it frequently

• 44% saw students making Nazi gestures or displaying Nazi symbols

• 1 in 10 teachers reported witnessing physical attacks on Jewish students

• 42% encountered antisemitism from other teachers

Despite the scale of the problem, a majority of teachers reported feeling ill-equipped to respond. 61% said they were unable to answer students’ questions about antisemitism at least once, while 70% had received no professional training on recognising or addressing contemporary antisemitism.

Training gap undermines education response

Less than one third of surveyed teachers had participated in training delivered by specialist organisations outside their school, highlighting what UNESCO describes as a critical gap between policy commitments and classroom reality.

The survey was developed by the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education and conducted between August 2024 and May 2025, with dissemination supported by European ministries of education and research organisation Public First.

New UNESCO tools for educators

To coincide with the report’s release, UNESCO unveiled a new set of education resources to counter antisemitism, including:

• Strategies to counter antisemitism: A handbook for educators – a practical guide offering 10 evidence-based teaching practices with real-world examples

• A study on representations of Jews, Judaism and antisemitism in European textbooks, identifying stereotypes, omissions and gaps across eight countries

• Teaching and learning about violent pasts, an online course supporting educators in teaching sensitive histories accurately and responsibly, launched alongside UNESCO’s policy guide on addressing violent pasts through education

These tools build on UNESCO’s wider work on Holocaust and genocide education, countering hate speech and preventing violent extremism.

EU-wide action scaling up

In partnership with the European Commission and the OSCE, UNESCO has expanded a dedicated training programme on addressing antisemitism to all EU Member States in 2025. Since 2023, more than 1,300 educators and policymakers across Europe have already received training.

UNESCO says education systems must act decisively to ensure classrooms are safe spaces for all students and that antisemitism, denial and hate are confronted early — not normalised through silence or lack of support.