Jewish students tripped up in school game, inquiry told

A royal commission investigating antisemitism and social cohesion in New South Wales has been told of a disturbing game allegedly played at a public school, where students competed to "trip up" their Jewish classmates.

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Students at a New South Wales public school competed to be crowned 'king of the Jews' in a game they created to trip up their Jewish peers, the royal commission on antisemitism has heard.

John Hamey, CEO of the NSW Board of Jewish Education (BJE), testified before the inquiry on Thursday. He recounted how parents of Jewish-Australian students frequently reported instances of antisemitism to the BJE. One particularly alarming incident involved a game dubbed "trip the Jew," where participants earned points for successfully tripping Jewish students. The student with the most points at the end of the day was declared "king of the Jews."

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They said to me that they were proud to be anti-Israeli.

Hamey, who is Catholic, also shared an observation from another NSW public school. He witnessed a teacher using a laptop adorned with a "free Palestine" sticker that featured a crossed-out Israeli flag and Star of David. The teacher reportedly expressed pride in being anti-Israeli. Hamey informed the teacher that such actions created a hostile environment for Jewish students in the classroom and that the teacher was failing in her responsibility to remain non-partisan and apolitical.

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She was not fulfilling her responsibility to be non-partisan and apolitical in the classroom.

Hamey emphasized the urgent need for improved systems to address hate speech within schools. He called for a clear and formalized process for reporting incidents of antisemitism and hate speech, suggesting that existing frameworks could be adapted. Such a system, he argued, would provide a clearer understanding of the extent and reach of antisemitism in the state's public schools.

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There needs to be better systems to respond to hate speech in schools.