Thousands more students are enrolling in Jewish schools and synagogues in New York following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, as Jewish parents increasingly report pulling their children out of public schools due to anti-Semitism, anti-Israel hostility and concerns about what teachers bring to the classroom. The number of Jewish K-12 students increased by about 3,100 students in the 2025-26 school year alone, while a separate report by Jewish educators documented at least 250 incidents it classified as anti-Semitic or anti-Israel in New York public schools between October 2023 and July 2026. One Upper East Side mother, Natalia Murakvar, pulled her two children from N.B. 87 in 2024 and says that the atmosphere quickly deteriorated. The language changes, the caliber of venom. I think we're entering a new phase," she said. Another parent, Deborah Uri, removed her son from Townsend Harris High School after Oct. 7, saying he suddenly lost close friends. "They wouldn't touch or talk to Jews anymore. The administration just kept quiet," she said. The controversy intensified following revelations about Brooklyn public school teacher Damian Neve, who wrote "Long live Yahya al-Sinwar" in the Signal group in 2024, referring to the Hamas leader and the architect of the 7th of October. Neva is currently under investigation by education officials in New York. Separately, IS 181 social studies teacher George Trim was accused of promoting anti-Semitic 9/11 conspiracy theories to students.

Thousands more students are enrolling in Jewish schools and synagogues in New York following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, as Jewish parents increasingly report pulling their children out of public schools due to anti-Semitism, anti-Israel hostility and concerns about what teachers bring to the classroom. The number of Jewish K-12 students increased by about 3,100 students in the 2025-26 school year alone, while a separate report by Jewish educators documented at least 250 incidents it classified as anti-Semitic or anti-Israel in New York public schools between October 2023 and July 2026. One Upper East Side mother, Natalia Murakvar, pulled her two children from N.B. 87 in 2024 and says that the atmosphere quickly deteriorated. The language changes, the caliber of venom. I think we're entering a new phase," she said. Another parent, Deborah Uri, removed her son from Townsend Harris High School after Oct. 7, saying he suddenly lost close friends. "They wouldn't touch or talk to Jews anymore. The administration just kept quiet," she said. The controversy intensified following revelations about Brooklyn public school teacher Damian Neve, who wrote "Long live Yahya al-Sinwar" in the Signal group in 2024, referring to the Hamas leader and the architect of the 7th of October. Neva is currently under investigation by education officials in New York. Separately, IS 181 social studies teacher George Trim was accused of promoting anti-Semitic 9/11 conspiracy theories to students.