Arizona Tribune - Over 20,000 NYC Public School Students Receive Anti-Hate Training Through AJCF's "Decode Hate" Program

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 26, 2026 / As online harassment and digital radicalization increasingly shape how young people experience hate, the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF), in partnership with the New York City Council, reached more than 20,000 New York City public school students this academic year through its "Decode Hate" program, a program that gives middle and high school students the tools to recognize, navigate and confront antisemitism and all forms of hate, online and in their communities. Since September, dozens of specially trained facilitators have worked directly with teachers and visited classrooms across New York City, building students' online critical thinking skills. The program includes advance and follow-up modules led by teachers, paired with workshops led by AJCF facilitators, teaches students to identify online harassment, understand, recognize and avoid manipulation and misinformation, and understand their individual social responsibility in practicing responsible online citizenship.

In the classroom workshops, students participate in discussion-based activities, scenario exercises and sessions that build practical skills for navigating digital spaces, including how to identify manipulation tactics, report harassment, and intervene when they see peers targeted online. Students completed the program with greater awareness of online harassment and peer bias, a deeper understanding of bigotry and antisemitism, and practical strategies to respond when they encounter hate, on and offline. AJCF's facilitators report that students are leaving the classroom prepared to speak up rather than stay silent.

"This is how you defeat hate, not with slogans, but by giving every student the digital literacy and judgment to recognize manipulation the moment they encounter it online," said Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Director General Jack Simony. "We're preparing a generation that recognizes hate and refuses to stay silent."

"'Decode Hate' is more than a program, it's a movement to ensure that our young people are equipped to navigate the digital world they actually live in," said Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Chairman Simon Bergson. "By teaching students to think critically online as clearly as they would in person, we are building a generation committed to justice, empathy and moral courage."

"Seeing tens of thousands of students build these skills and then carry that awareness directly into their online communities is inspiring," added Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Executive Vice President Michael Cohen. "Education becomes powerful when it gives students the tools to act against hate wherever they encounter it, including in the spaces where they spend most of their time."

Critically, students also learn at a young age about the permanence and impact of their own digital footprint and how their personal engagement in online hate can have long-lasting consequences to their futures.

The initiative reflects AJCF's broader commitment to ensuring that New York City's public schools are not only safe spaces but places where students build the digital judgment to navigate everyday life online. The program's impact has already led to meaningful conversations with school districts and legislators interested in bringing the model to communities beyond New York City.

The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF), headquartered in New York City, is dedicated to harnessing the lessons of the Holocaust to combat antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry while building a better future. In addition to its educational and leadership programs in New York, including Decode Hate, developed in partnership with the New York City Council and New York City Public Schools, as well as the American Service Academies Program and the RISE Leadership Program, AJCF maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oświęcim, Poland, including the city's last remaining synagogue, a museum and educational center, and other preserved Jewish properties that serve as living reminders of a once-thriving Jewish community. Through its work with students, educators, civic leaders, clergy and law enforcement, AJCF equips current and future leaders with the tools to recognize and confront antisemitism, extremism, and hate in all its forms. For more information, visit www.ajcfus.org.

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Contact: Joshua Steinreich
Steinreich Communications
(212) 491-1600
[email protected]

SOURCE: Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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