Blog

September 28, 2026

SJM leads UNESCO education program

Photo by Giselle Haber.

SJM’s education team is currently involved at the forefront of a major new national program to combat antisemitism. The initiative, spearheaded by UNESCO, sees SJM leading a coalition of education boards, schools and museums in every Australian State and Territory.

In her March 2026 report, The Australian Special Envoy Against Antisemitism (ASECA), Jillian Segal AO, identified the critical need for grassroots education within schools as a key strategy for tackling antisemitism. Young people increasingly encounter antisemitic content through social media without context or the skills to be critical. The school system plays an important role not only in helping students understand antisemitism, but also in developing mature and capable young people with strong critical thinking skills who cherish the core Australian social cohesion values of empathy and mateship.

Since 2018 UNESCO has prioritised education against antisemitism – which it describes as a threat to world peace. Working with more than 30 countries and drawing on solid pedagogical research, its dedicated team has built a suite of resources and materials for educators, education systems and students to teach and learn about antisemitism. This year ASECA identified UNESCO as the organisation best placed to lead and implement a national education strategy to address antisemitism in Australia.

The program ‘Addressing antisemitism through education: A national approach to addressing antisemitism in Australian schools’ launched in March 2026. Subsequently, ASECA and UNESCO chose SJM to partner with them in the initial implementation. Working with every state and territory education department along with the Catholic and Independent schools’ associations, the program involves school systems and policy strategies, teacher training and the implementation of lessons addressing antisemitism in each state’s school curriculum.

Every Holocaust museum in Australia is participating, working with their local state education bodies to ensure the program meets the unique needs of each state and territory. SJM is working with these organisations to ensure they have the requisite knowledge from UNESCO to then lead the work in their given jurisdiction.

The program started as a 6-month pilot in NSW and Victoria focusing on teacher and leader training in understanding and identifying antisemitism; policy changes to address antisemitic incidents; and introducing lessons. Phase 1 is currently being reviewed, and Phase 2 of NSW and Victoria will commence in 2027 with 80 schools across the two states.

In August 2026, the pilot was launched with the state education department in WA, and a 6-month pilot is now underway with 10 schools. In September 2026, all other states and territories participated in systems leaders’ workshops on the program, with those jurisdictions moving towards launching their own pilots.

SJM senior educator Lee-Anne Whitten says that in every jurisdiction the enthusiastic participation has been outstanding. “From Ministers to heads of department, from every level of systems leadership through to the principals and school leaders of our pilot schools, we have seen deep care and support for this work. In each workshop it was clear that participants left with an understanding not only of the conspiratorial nature of antisemitism and the risk this poses to Jewish people, but also of the danger it poses to Australian society.”

Post-workshop surveys reported an almost complete shift from ‘little understanding’ of antisemitism to a ‘good or very good understanding’ by the end of the one-day workshop. The work does not end with the workshop, with continuing professional development and support building on this essential foundational knowledge to develop a deeper understanding of antisemitism and a more effective response to it.”

SJM’s selection further strengthens its position as a national leader in education against antisemitism and complements our work through the Centre for Education Against Antisemitism (SJM-CEA), which is helping shape a coordinated, long-term response to antisemitism in Australian schools and communities.

Added Lee-Anne: “A national program of this kind that addresses policies, practices, culture and education is truly unique and a key step in addressing antisemitism, social cohesion and anti-racism values in our schools. It will help build safer spaces for all our young people and create a better future for Australia as a whole.”