Thank you to everyone who has signed, shared, and emailed their MP so far - the support has been amazing. We're just short of 40,000 signatures, and with your help, we can reach that milestone.
Here's what you can do right now:
📲 Share the petition - on social media, in family group chats, with friends, whoever. We're so close to 40,000 but things have slowed down. If everyone who's already signed just shares it with one more person, we can reach this within days.
✉️ Email your MP using the template below if you haven't already. It really is making a difference - the Parliamentary motion in support of mandatory antisemitism education now has 14 MPs publicly backing it, and every email adds to the pressure. Several MPs have written directly to the Education Secretary thanks to your emails.
📩 And if you've already emailed your MP and heard back, please send me the reply at jonathancampaigns1@gmail.com. I'm keeping track of responses so I know where support is strong and where I need to push harder.
Thank you so much for being part of this — every share, email, and forwarded reply genuinely makes a difference.
TEMPLATE LETTER:
Dear (insert MP's name),
I am writing to you because I believe that education about antisemitism should be made mandatory in schools.
A Jewish student, Jonathan Frisher, has started a petition in support of this cause, which has now gained almost 40,000 signatures. You can see the petition here: https://chng.it/DCLzkHZLkH
I also ask that you sign Early Day Motion 179, tabled by Connor Naismith MP, which congratulates Jonathan on his campaign and calls on the Government to give due consideration to the concerns raised in the petition. The EDM already has the public backing of 14 MPs.
Jonathan states: "At the synagogue I go to, the Rabbi asked the youth group how many of us had experienced antisemitism. Every single person put their hand up. Every single one of us has been discriminated against purely because we are Jewish."
Thousands of Jewish students across the country have had the same experiences of being discriminated against because of their religion and background, and it is time for the government to act. The recent attacks targeting the Jewish community show the worrying persistence of antisemitism, and the UK government should take a lead in combating anti-Jewish discrimination through education.
Jewish people make up 0.5% of the population, but are nine times more likely to be victims of hate crime than any other faith group per capita. By implementing compulsory education about antisemitism in schools, it would teach a generation of students about anti-Jewish discrimination and help ensure that it is rooted out of our country.
Whilst it is important to recognise that Holocaust education is mandatory, this does not go far enough. If this was enough, why do antisemitic incidents remain at record levels? The reality is that current education is not sufficiently tackling contemporary antisemitism, and the Government must take further action.
Importantly, this would not be a costly or radical change to the education system. The proposal is simply for a lesson on contemporary antisemitism to be incorporated into existing teaching, providing students with a greater understanding of anti-Jewish prejudice and helping to challenge misconceptions before they become entrenched.
As my local representative in Parliament, you have the power to call for change and lend your support to this campaign. Please use your voice to support efforts to introduce mandatory education about antisemitism in schools by raising this with ministers, and sign EDM 179 to demonstrate your support for the growing number of people calling for action.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
(Insert your name)