How High School Students Can Learn to Be Comfortable Talking About Israel

An empty classroom. Photo: Wiki Commons. I attend a secular private high school in the Bay Area of Northern California. When I was a sophomore, a swastika was drawn on the table where I always sat in US History class. I took pictures and reported them to the administration. Time passed and I saw no more swastikas, so I assumed things were taken care of. Unfortunately, several more showed up in quick succession. I returned to the administration, this time with more urgency. I was so impressed and thankful for one of our deans who sent a schoolwide email stating that the swastika is a hate crime, different from graffiti or vandalism. The same dean also addressed the entire sophomore class (who take US History) and spoke very emphatically about how this is not the environment we are meant to foster in school. I was really moved by this. Aside from this instance, however, most of the antisemitism or anti-Zionism I face is a product of growing up and living in the Bay Area. My first experience was, surprisingly, in middle school. During 6th grade, a classmate of mine began drawing swastikas everywhere. Anywhere you looked, you were bound to find one: on papers, books, cubbies, and lockers. After finding five in one afternoon, I asked my class to sit down and allow me to explain the history of the swastika and push for whomever was drawing it to please stop. Ultimately, I accomplished my goal, but I remained frustrated that it was me, not an adult or teacher, who had to explain the history of a symbol. This was the first instance in a longer pattern of experiences where I've felt antisemitism gets brushed off because it either doesn't seem like a big deal or people feel it's not antisemitism — that they are really just criticizing Israel. Israel has become a subject nobody in my sphere wants to touch. After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre on Israel's southern towns, I tried talking about what happened with some of my friends. They were obviously uncomfortable and didn't engage with any type of conversation. I found myself seeking more opportunities to share my beliefs and converse with others, whether or not they agreed with me. I think for young people like myself, it seems safer to disengage and avoid hurting someone else's feelings. Leading with empathy and not trying to harm anyone emotionally or physically is of course a top priority. But sometimes hushing yourself or others can do more harm than good. That said, there is much more discussion of Israel online. On Instagram, for instance, it's not treated like a subject you can have a nuanced conversation about, and more like something you just pick a side on and then avoid discussing further. Or, worse, it is a label that all who disagree with you as racists or bigots. There's not enough space to learn, ask hard questions, or admit you didn't know something. I worry a lot about what could happen or continue to happen in school settings if we lose the ability to be honest about our beliefs and allow productive conversations to take place. I don't want people turning to social media as their outlet. Amidst all this searching, I found the StandWithUs Kenneth Leventhal High School Internship. I joined because I sought to build the skills to productively have those conversations. I want to be able to talk about Israel with facts, context, and enough composure that it doesn't shut down into silence or, opposite, into chaos. The internship felt like the right place to learn to do that. My hope is that by the end of this year, I am someone others feel comfortable talking to about controversial issues. I am not and don't intend to become someone who preaches my beliefs to others. My goal is to be someone who can sustain a conversation, defend my viewpoints, disagree respectfully, and maybe make the topic feel a little less impossible to bring up. Hazel J. Levinson is a senior at a secular private high school in Marin County, California. She is the 2026-27 StandWithUs Keneth Leventhal High School Intern and a leader of her school's Jewish community. The opinions presented by Algemeiner bloggers are solely theirs and do not represent those of The Algemeiner, its publishers or editors. If you would like to share your views with a blog post on The Algemeiner, please be in touch through our Contact page.