Step foot into a Jewish high school today, and you’ll see that students are not just learning about antisemitism: they’re living through it. Between classes, they scroll through hostility on social media, encounter it in group chats and absorb it in real time. 

Jewish education has responded quickly. I see schools and Jewish organizations working hard to give students tools to recognize hate, respond to it online or in person, and protect themselves. This work is necessary and urgent. 

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And yet, while preparing students for a hostile world, I see what may be a critical mistake. In this, we’re unintentionally guiding the next generation of Jews to manage their identity, rather than live it with pride and confidence.

In my work with teens through the Jewish Youth Promise and previous roles, I’ve seen this recurring tension. Students are worried about antisemitism, and they’re adjusting themselves to fit the mold. They think carefully about what they post, what they say, even what symbols they wear, and they’re internalizing that being Jewish is something to navigate cautiously rather than embrace fully.

This is not the goal of Jewish education. But it is where a defensive-first approach can lead.

To be clear, teaching students how to recognize and respond to antisemitism is essential, especially in the post–Oct. 7 reality where hostility has surged both online and offline. But when that becomes the starting point of Jewish identity formation, it can quietly reshape how students see themselves. If the first thing we teach young Jews about being Jewish is how to defend it, we shouldn’t be surprised when they hesitate to express it.

Building a curriculum around reacting to hate centers those challenges as the defining feature of Jewish life.

Organizations like TalkIsrael and Lost Tribe are spearheading new models that engage teens directly in the digital spaces they inhabit, encouraging them to share Jewish culture and values with pride and confidence rather than simply mitigating misinformation. These organizations are showing up in feeds and in conversations, in real time, before students even enter classrooms. And, just as importantly, they are leading with identity instead of fear. 

That distinction matters.

When teens interact with people or content expressing confidence in who they are and pride in their Jewish heritage, it reshapes their relationship with their own identity. It reminds them that being Jewish is not just something to defend, but something to live.

Jewish education must offer more of this — not just awareness, but courage.

Courage is what allows a student to speak openly about their values, even when it’s uncomfortable. It is what grounds pride — not in denial of challenges, but in a deep connection to heritage, culture, and purpose. And it is what enables young people to engage thoughtfully with complexity, rather than retreat from it.

This kind of courage is not abstract. It can be taught, and it must be cultivated intentionally.

Moral courage means giving students the language and confidence to articulate who they are and what they stand for. Cultural courage comes from experiencing Judaism not only as history or obligation, but as a living, meaningful source of identity and pride. Intellectual courage equips students to wrestle with difficult questions about Israel, about history, about belonging without losing their sense of self.

These forms of courage require a coordinated effort across the environments that shape young people in schools, camps, families, and their own communities. Classrooms provide knowledge and context. Camps create joyful, identity-affirming experiences. Parents model what it looks like to live Jewishly with confidence. When these forces align, they model what we’re trying to articulate to our younger Jewish generations. 

None of this means ignoring the reality of antisemitism. It’s important our students understand the world they are navigating, and they deserve tools to respond to it. But caution is a survival tactic, not a foundation for identity. If we are not careful, we risk raising a generation fluent in responding to hate, but less confident in explaining why being Jewish matters in the first place.

The goal of Jewish education cannot only be survival. It’s our responsibility to raise the next generation of Jews who are proud enough and grounded enough to show up fully and lead.

Josh Schalk is a Jewish educator, nonprofit leader and the executive director of the Jewish Youth Promise. He also serves on the board of trustees of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland.