Democracy Dies in Darkness

Jewish students say they wanted more from MCPS at antisemitism hearing

Montgomery County school board president Karla Silvestre joined leaders from two other large districts at a House hearing on antisemitism in K-12 schools.

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May 9, 2024 at 6:23 p.m. EDT
Kobie Talmoud, 16, left, a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Md., speaks with Karla Silvestre, president of the Montgomery County Board of Education, after a House subcommittee hearing on antisemitism in K-12 public schools on Wednesday. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
6 min

As Montgomery County school board president Karla Silvestre stepped away from a microphone Wednesday after being questioned by congressional lawmakers, a handful of Jewish students rushed to talk to her.

They told her how isolated they feel as Jewish students in Maryland’s largest school system, two of the students recalled in an interview. They recounted the hate incidents they have experienced since they have been enrolled in school.