The article says that the test was on "The Tempest" another play by Shakespeare. So I think they were wrong to boycott, if it had been on "the Merchant of Venice" I would understand. The fact is that unfortunately many of the great thinkers and writers in history were anti-semetic. But having school children today refusing to read any Shakespeare because anti-semetism in one of his plays is only doing themselves a disservice to their education, one is simply not considered educated in the English speaking world if they have not read Shakespeare.
When they teach it, they do not teach that shakespeare was anti-semitic, and it is an anti-semitic play.
They may teach that by the standards of his time he was friendly and sympathetic towards jews.
Pupils are actually brainwashed by the teachers into sympathising with shylock. Saying well, Shylock was spat upon, e.t.c. They are taught to try to understand Shylock's reaction. They are not taught that shylock is horrible(presumably they think that would be anti-semitic). They are taught that shylock is a jew. And you are supposed to step into his shoes, to understand his reaction.
The anti-semitism it inspires in classrooms is very bad.
Even in a modern orthodox school I was at , I remember one intelligent pupil going self hating, saying "he's a horrible jew" e.t.c..
My neighbour - not jewish - went to a state funded school, the type where kids carry knives. He said they gathered around the television and came out with incredible anti-semitic comments.
Schools are not even honest enough to say it is an anti-semitic play. If they did then they would have to admit to teaching an anti-semitic play. And justify teaching it.
Maybe, maybe, they could try to justify it with "great use of english not seen anywhere else". But they will not even admit that it is an anti-semitic play.
They could then justify teaching mein kampf too, for historical significance!
I saw a letter in the paper suggesting TS Elliott as an alternative to shakespeare.