Talking to Kids about Antisemitism

Antisemitism is not a new topic, but knowing how to talk about it with your kids is something many parents find genuinely difficult. Where do you start? How much do you say? What if your child is too young to understand, or old enough to push back? These are the questions I hear most, and they are exactly what I will be addressing in an upcoming free webinar hosted by JCRC Bay Area on Tuesday, April 28th from 8:00 to 9:15 p.m.

I will be presenting alongside Zohar Keissar, MSW, a social worker at JFCS San Francisco, and together we will offer practical, grounded guidance for parents, grandparents, and anyone who works with or cares for children and teens.

What We Will Cover

One of the most important things to understand is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. How you talk to a seven-year-old about antisemitism looks very different from how you talk to a teenager, and part of what we will explore is exactly that: how to meet kids where they are developmentally and have conversations that feel age-appropriate without being dismissive of the real weight of what is happening in the world.

We will also look at the role parents play in these conversations, including what to do when your child comes home with a perspective that does not match your own. Disagreement between parents and kids, especially teens, is normal. Navigating it with honesty and openness, without shutting the conversation down, is something we will talk through together.

Some of the tips we will cover:

• Meet them where they are. Let your child's age and developmental stage guide how much you share and how you say it.

• Follow their lead. Start by asking what they already know or have heard. You may be surprised, and it helps you respond to what they actually need rather than what you assume they need.

• Use simple, honest language. You do not need to have all the answers. Saying "that's a really important question, let me think about that" is always better than avoiding the conversation altogether.

• Name the feeling before the fact. If a topic is scary or upsetting, acknowledge that first. "This can feel really scary, and it makes sense that you feel that way" goes a long way. Kids want to feel validated in their feelings.

• Normalize coming back to it. Hard conversations do not have to happen all at once. Let your child know they can always bring it up again, and remember to check in with them over time.

• Watch your own anxiety. Kids are perceptive. If you seem frightened or overwhelmed, they will feel that. Taking a breath and grounding yourself before the conversation helps them feel safe enough to open up.

• Emphasize safety and agency. End on what is being done, who is keeping them safe, and what your family values. Children do better when they feel like there is solid ground beneath them. “Look for the helpers.”

Why This Conversation Matters

As a psychotherapist, I work with children and adults every day who are trying to make sense of things that feel scary or hard to understand. Antisemitism falls into that category for a lot of families right now. What I know from both my clinical work and my own experience is that children do better when they are not left to piece things together alone. They need the adults in their lives to be willing to have the conversation, even when it is uncomfortable, even when you do not have all the answers. You don’t have to do it perfectly. They also need to know that the adults in their lives are able to hold whatever feelings might arise. For that reason, it’s important that parents have their own space to explore and process anything they may be grappling with.

Feeling seen and not alone in something frightening is itself protective. That is true for adults, and it is equally true for kids.

Join Us

This webinar is free and open to the community. Registration is required, and you can sign up at tinyurl.com/ChildrenandAntisemitism.

If you are a parent, grandparent, educator, or anyone who wants to show up better for the young people in your life around this topic, I hope you will join us. It is going to be a warm, practical, and hopefully really useful conversation.

Tuesday, April 28 | 8:00 – 9:15 p.m. | Online Register at tinyurl.com/ChildrenandAntisemitism