Over the past two years, 23 antisemitic incidents have been reported in the schools of the City of Zurich. These incidents ranged from swastikas carved into desks to assaults on students.
As a result of one incident, an affected child transferred from a public school to a private school, according to the city council’s response.
City councillors Stefan Urech, Ronny Siev, and Florian Utz submitted the written request to find out how the city addresses antisemitic incidents in municipal schools.
The reporting office for racism, antisemitism, radicalisation, and interreligious conflicts has been in operation since March 2024. Since then, a total of 54 reports have been received, the city council stated. Of these, 23 cases were related to antisemitism, and in eight cases, students were directly affected.
The reported incidents ranged from antisemitic remarks in public spaces and far-right symbols—such as swastikas carved into desks—to direct provocations on the way to school or in the playground. Threats and assaults on students were also reported.
Each report is analysed and handled individually, depending on the case. Preventive programmes are offered to schools, and for directly affected students, parents are informed of the possibility of filing a report. If the antisemitic aggression comes from students, the school contacts the parents and communicates its position clearly.
However, not all reporters requested counselling. Some only wanted the incident to be recorded, while others had already received support from other services. The department does not conduct a specific survey on the well-being of Jewish children.
