Antisemitism after October 7: A Missed Test for Inclusive Practice in Social Work Programs

Background/Context:

The events of October 7, 2023—marking the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust—precipitated a global surge in antisemitism and a critical inflection point for academic institutions’ commitments to equity and inclusion. In this context, the social work profession, long positioned as a vanguard of social justice and anti-oppressive practice, faced a significant challenge. Despite its foundational ethos of advocating for marginalized communities, the profession largely failed to provide clear or consistent leadership in response to rising antisemitism. Hesitancy to address antisemitism in unambiguous terms revealed a dissonance between the field’s values and its practical responses, highlighting a gap in awareness and engagement with the specific forms of oppression experienced by Jewish individuals and communities.

A core obstacle lies in the theoretical and operational frameworks shaping social work’s approach to social justice. Specifically, the 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS)—which emphasize anti-racism and anti-oppressive practice—offer a robust foundation for addressing structural inequality but fall short in articulating the complexities of antisemitism. Their emphasis on certain modalities of oppression, paired with generalized language, contributes to the marginalization of Jewish identity within ADEI initiatives. This omission is particularly troubling given the demonstrable rise in antisemitism and underscores the need for a more inclusive framework that acknowledges Jewish experiences of marginalization.

Purpose/Research Question:
To what extent did CSWE-accredited social work programs implement initiatives to address rising antisemitism in the 2023–2024 academic year, and how did these efforts align with or diverge from the anti-oppressive and anti-racist commitments outlined in the 2022 EPAS?

Methodology/Approach:
A mixed-methods survey was distributed to program directors of all CSWE-accredited BSW (n=565) and MSW (n=366) programs. The survey included quantitative and open-ended qualitative questions aligned with the 2022 EPAS, exploring how programs (1) identified and challenged structural oppression and (2) fostered inclusive environments for diverse populations, including Jewish students and faculty. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. Qualitative responses underwent selective coding to extract salient categories and central themes, with one core phenomenon emerging.

Findings/Results:
Preliminary results indicate a near-total omission of Jewish identity and antisemitism in institutional ADEI responses following October 7. This silence had tangible effects on student and faculty well-being, revealing a significant gap between the stated values of social work and actual institutional practice. Case examples illustrate the emotional and professional toll of unacknowledged trauma and selective solidarity.

Applications/Significance:
These findings call into question the adequacy of current ADEI frameworks in social work education and underscore the ethical imperative to include Jewish identity in anti-oppressive discourse. The presentation will offer recommendations for integrating Jewish inclusion into curricula and campus initiatives. A central framing question guides this inquiry: What does it mean to “do” inclusion when an identity is consistently unnamed in moments of collective trauma?

Keywords: antisemitism, social work education, Jewish identity, ADEI, anti-oppressive practice, collective trauma, inclusion, October 7, higher education, EPAS