Patrick Sawer
Published on January 31, 2026
Encyclopaedia Britannica’s children’s educational content presents a version of history that effectively erases Jewish peoplehood and Jewish self-determination. By referring to the entire land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as “Palestine,” omitting the modern State of Israel, and ignoring ancient Jewish kingdoms, these materials replace historical accuracy with a contemporary ideological narrative. Critics argue that this approach doesn’t simply critique Israeli policy; it denies Jewish indigeneity and national existence altogether, reinforcing a form antisemitism that treats Jewish identity and history as uniquely illegitimate. In a space meant to educate children, the result is not nuance or critical thinking, but the normalization of historical distortion that excludes Jews from their own story.