JCRC Statement
July 8, 2025
The following is a statement from Guila Franklin Siegel, chief operating officer of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.
“Amidst the hundreds of school-based antisemitic incidents to which JCRC professionals have responded since October 7th, the case involving the Nysmith School stands out for its particular callousness and disregard.
“Several months ago, JCRC was contacted by the Vasquez/Roy family; they reported that their children were experiencing unrelenting antisemitism from peers at Nysmith, which administrators refused to address. Together with this courageous and remarkable family, we appealed to Nysmith leaders and educators to put an end to this hate-motivated bullying, take a public stand against antisemitism, and provide resources to students and faculty to help them understand, identify, and respond to antisemitism within their school.
The Nysmith School failed to act, even going so far as canceling plans for a JCRC-sponsored Holocaust survivor or descendant speaking event with students. Adding significant insult to injury, the school subsequently informed the Vasquez/Roy family that their children had been expelled immediately, with no notice.
“JCRC then referred the family to the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, with whom we regularly collaborate on matters related to school-based antisemitism. We thank the attorneys at the Brandeis Center for taking on this case, and for their vigorous advocacy on behalf of this family, as evidenced by the Title VI complaint filed last week with the office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“The primary responsibility of any school is to keep the children in their care safe. If the allegations in the Title VI complaint prove true, Nysmith School will be guilty of failing spectacularly at that most basic and fundamental principle. Notwithstanding the outcome of the case, the defiant, dismissive attitude of school leaders to the filing of the Title VI claim, reflected in their public statement on July 3rd, suggest that they are doubling down on their brazen and wholly inappropriate response to this matter.
“No child should ever encounter the vile and hateful words directed towards the Vasquez/Roy family. Yet at this time of unprecedented antisemitism in the United States, it is sadly all too common for Jewish American students to endure this type of bullying and harassment — only to then encounter school administrators and educators who lack either the will, the awareness, and/or the understanding of Jewish American experience to properly respond. It is simply unacceptable.
"The Nysmith School must confront the antisemitism that has infected its classrooms as well as their troubling response to date. If its leaders own up to their mistakes and take the steps they should have at the outset — create a safe and secure learning environment for their Jewish students — we stand ready to work with them to ensure that this appalling situation never happens again.”