Speaking out is East Meadow High Schooler Sofie Glassman's way of combating hate

At just 15, Sofie Glassman has experienced enough antisemitism to know that she needs to take a stand. Now she shares her experiences wherever she can, in the hope of making a change.

She first experienced antisemitism in kindergarten, on the playground at Barnum Woods Elementary School. She asked another student to play with her, but the young girl responded that she couldn’t play with her because Sofie was Jewish.

“At the time I just said, ‘oh,’ but it’s always stuck with me,” Glassman said. “I brought it up to my Hebrew school teacher months later, and that’s when she told me that that was antisemitism.

“Kids are kids, and they say whatever, but that’s something that’s learned from parents,” she added. “That means something was going on at home, and I don’t even know how she knew I was Jewish.”

An incoming junior at East Meadow High School, Glassman wasn’t always into speaking up — she was actually more of a shy kid. It wasn’t until she started joining more Jewish organizations that she started to open up. One in particular, the Jewish Student Union at the high school, made her feel more passionate about her Judaism.

She attended a conference at the beginning of last school year that was hosted by the student union. After hearing from other Jewish students, Glassman said it completely changed her life.

“I met so many kids that were so passionate about combating antisemitism, and all these kids had the same story similar to what I experienced,” she recounted. “It was amazing because I really felt so connected, and I really felt like this was where I belonged.”

At the conference, attendees told her about other places where she could get involved and other avenues she could take to help combat antisemitism.

Now, she’s a member of nine Jewish organizations.

“That’s when I really decided that I was going to dedicate all of my time outside of school to dealing with this,” she said.

She’s spoken at various organization meetings, but the first place where she felt like she had a voice was at a public forum held at the Nassau County Legislative building on May 12. The forum was hosted by the Nassau County Legislative Task Force to condemn threats of antisemitism across Long Island.

Glassman got to the podium and spoke about the antisemitism she experiences in school, which is something that she faces almost daily, she said.

She’s seen swastikas etched into a few of the stalls in the restrooms at school. In the cafeteria, she heard students make antisemitic comments and has overheard loud videos containing jokes about Jewish people. Some students have said that they want to throw things at her so they could “knock out her Judaism.” Some kids yell “free Palestine,” at her as she walks the halls.

When she sees or hears something she deems as antisemitic, Glassman said that she decides which approach she wants to take to address the situation. She fears that if she says something back to them, she might also be considered in the wrong.

“I usually don’t say anything, but I immediately report it if I can,” she said. “I try not to fight back or anything, I try to be really careful.”

Glassman said that most of the time she reports something in school, she feels it gets ignored. When she found the swastika in the bathroom and reported it, she thought it was going to be taken care of immediately. When it wasn’t, she said she felt like she wasn’t being taken seriously.

“My credibility was being questioned,” she said. “I like to pride myself, and I like to think that I’m very credible.”

In a statement from Kenneth Card, superintendent of the East Meadow School District, he said that the district is aware of the allegations concerning antisemitism, and that they are taking them “extremely seriously” and are going to conduct a full investigation.

“Our district takes great pride in promoting a culture of tolerance and understanding among all students,” Card said in the statement. “There is no room for hateful speech or action of any type. This behavior will not be tolerated and should a student be found responsible, we will ensure that they will be disciplined according to our Code of Conduct.”

When Glassman plans out her speeches, she knows she wants to make one thing clear — tolerance is what’s important, and not just for Judaism.

“When I’m talking to a group of Jewish individuals, I always say, ‘How do we expect people to accept us, if we can’t accept them,’” she said. “We need to be able to accept everybody even if we don’t agree. I always talk about inclusivity and tolerance when I’m talking about combating antisemitism.”

Glassman said that she’s always felt a lot of pressure to stand up for Judaism, and sometimes the comments feel like personal attacks, even when they may not be.

For a time, she even considered asking her parents if she could attend a private school to hopefully get away from some of the comments.

She ultimately decided against it because she felt that saying something meant she was making a positive change.

“I realize now that the kids in my school need somebody like me who’s going to respond to them and say something,” she said. “I feel the pressure to educate on why we shouldn’t be saying those things. So, if I wasn’t there, who else is going to say something?”