Parent Resources


We compiled the following resources that we hope you will find helpful. Please reach out to AJC High School Affairs if you need support, have any questions, or if you’d like an AJC expert to speak to administrators, Jewish students, or Jewish affinity groups at your child’s school.

Table of Contents:

  1. Take action: 
  1. Reach Out to Members of Congress
  2. Reach Out to Other Elected Officials
  3. AJC’s Leaders For Tomorrow (LFT) Advocacy Program

  1. Stay Informed:
  1. AJC Resources
  2. Live Updates
  3. News Sources
  4. X (Twitter) Accounts Worth Following
  5. Podcasts to Listen To
  6. Additional Resources

  1. How to Speak with your Children and What Resources to Share with them
  1. Starting the Conversation
  2. Resources to Share With Your Child

  1. Talking to Administrators in Your Children’s School

Parent Resource Guide:

  1. Take Action
  1. Demand Hamas Release of the Hostages: urge your members of Congress and the UN to secure the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
  2. Call on your members of Congress to speak out to condemn Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel and support Israel’s right to defense.
  3. Urge all elected officials (Governors, Mayors, and City leaders) to denounce Hamas’ terror and reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself.
  4. Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT): LFT is AJC's education and advocacy program for teens that empowers young Jews to speak up for Israel and the Jewish people. Your child can apply here! Limited space is available in specific regions.
  5. Pedagogy Techniques for parents to share with school administrators.

  1. Stay Informed
  1. AJC resources:
  1. AJC’s new explainers.
  1. NEW! Key Resources on Israel-Hamas War: At a Glance: 
    AJC created an index to help with understanding the Israel-Hamas War, countering antisemitism today, and Campus resources.
  2. Video Explainer: What is Hamas?
  3. Video Explainer: From the River to the Sea — What Does it Mean?
  1. Debunking 5 Social Media Myths On the Israel-Hamas War
  2. Tough Questions About Gaza Answered
  3. Updated Common Misconceptions About the Attack on Israel
  4. Responding to False Claims About Israel
  5. Hezbollah, Hamas, and More: Iran’s Terror Network Around the Globe
  6. Collection of Statements: World Leaders Condemning the Terror Attack
  7. What to Know About Media Bias in Coverage of Hamas’ Attack on Israel
  8. 7 Ways Some Anti-Israel Protests Have Spread Antisemitism

  1. Live updates:
  1. Jerusalem Post Live Updates
  2. Haaretz Live Updates
  3. Times of Israel Live Updates

  1. Reputable Jewish and Israeli News Outlets:
  1. Times of Israel 
  2. Haaretz
  3. Ynet
  4. Jerusalem Post
  5. Israel Hayom
  6. Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
  7. The Forward
  8. Jewish Insider - Daily Kickoff (Aggregated articles about the Jewish world) 
  9. Daily Alert (Aggregated articles about Israel and Middle East news from Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) 

  1. X (Twitter) Accounts:
  1. American Jewish Committee: @AJCGlobal
  2. Ted Deutch, AJC CEO: @AJCCEO
  3. Neri Zilber: @nerizilber  
  4. Barak Ravid: @barakravid
  5. Einat Wilf: @EinatWilf
  6. Haviv Rettig Gur: @havivrettigur        
  7. Michael Koplow: @mkoplow  
  8. Dov Waxman: @dovwaxman        
  9. Amir Tibon: @amirtibon          
  10. Lazar Berman: @Lazar_Berman
  11. Lahav Harkov: @LahavHarkov
  12. Yair Rosenberg: @Yair_Rosenberg
  13. Matti Friedman: @MattiFriedman
  14. Anshel Pfeffer: @AnshelPfeffer
  15. Yossi Klein Halevi: @ykleinhalevi

  1. Podcasts:
  1. The Times of Israel’s The Daily Briefing 
  2. The Times of Israel’s What Matters Now 
  3. The Times of Israel’s Israel Story 
  4. Haaretz’s Weekly Podcast 
  5. AJC’s People of Pod
  6. Masa Israel Journey’s The Israel Conversation Podcast
  7. Israel Policy Forum’s Israel Policy Forum Podcast
  8. TLV1 Studios’s The Promised Podcast
  9. Dan Senor’s Call Me Back Podcast
  10. Shalom Hartman Institute’s For Heaven’s Sake 
  11. Unpacked’s Israel Education 

  1. Articles and Other Resources:
  1. Unpacked for Educators - Resource Materials 
  2. Boundless: Conversation Points
  3. Axios Explains: Israel-Hamas war The big picture
  4. Talking to Kids About What’s Happening in Israel Right Now - Kveller
  5. Hey Alma: Israel Guide
  6. What Is U.S. Policy on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict? 
    - Center for Foreign Relations (CFR)
  1. Recommended Books on Antisemitism and Israel
  • ANTISEMITISM
  • Antisemitism Here and Now by Deborah Lipstadt
  • How to Fight Antisemitism by Bari Weiss
  • Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel
  • People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present 
    by Dara Horn
  • We Need to Talk About Antisemitism by Rabbi Diana Fersko
  • Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby

  • ISRAEL
  • 1948 by Benny Morris
  • Apeirogon: A Novel by Colum McCann
  • Can We Talk about Israel? by Daniel Sokatch
  • Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders’ Dreams? By Daniel Gordis
  • Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn by Daniel Gordis
  • Israel: A History by Anita Shapira
  • Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby
  • Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi
  • The Zionist Ideas: Visions for the Jewish Homeland―Then, Now, Tomorrow by Gil Troy
  1. Speaking With Your Children:
  1. Starting the Conversation:
  1. Give them the space to ask questions and express their feelings. Help them feel heard and validated.
  2. Ensure they feel safe and well-supported in their school environment.
  3. Suggested articles:
  1. What do my children understand – and what should I tell them – about the Israeli-Palestinian violence? - The Forward
  2. Talking to Your Kids About What’s Happening in Israel 
    - Tablet Magazine
  3. Talking to Teens about the Current Situation 
    -     Jewish Education Project
  4. How to Talk to Children About the Conflict in Israel 
    -     Reform Judaism
  5. Teens on What They Need From Peers and Adults Right Now - JewishBoston.com

  1. Resources for Students:
  1. Recommended “Dos and Don’ts” for Students
  2. How to Respond to Common Misconceptions About the Attack On Israel
  3. Tough Questions About Gaza
  4. Unpacked Education Resources
  5. Israel Policy Forum: Timeline Israel at War
  6. Boundless Resources

  1. Talking to Administrators in Your Children’s School

  1. Making statements - While most schools have already issued statements, and those that have not issued one are unlikely to do so at this point, here are two resources to use in discussing a statement with your school administration. If your school has issued a statement, we would appreciate your sharing it with us.
  1. Resource on speaking effectively in this moment - Note that while this resource was created for university spaces, it is also relevant for K-12 school spaces.
  2. A template letter for you to reach out to your school administrators requesting that they issue a statement.
  3. The Israel-Hamas war: News literacy lessons - The Washington Post
  1. Explainers of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism
  1. AJC Guide for Administrators of Public Schools
  2. AJC Guide for Administrators of Independent Schools