Yesterday, November 13th, two letters were issued about a session at last week’s NJEA convention called “Teaching Palestine” which was funded by two groups that train teachers to teach antisemitic and anti-Zionist lessons to their students. The first letter, to Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill’s transition team as well as various elected officials in the state, was written by the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and the New Jersey Jewish Federation. The second letter was sent to “NJEA Leaders and Staff” by the National Education Association’s Jewish Affairs Caucus expressing “deep disappointment” that NJEA approved a session that “risks alienating members and undermining our shared mission of unity and equity within education.”

NJEA has not responded to a request for comment.

The letter to Sherrill’s team, released on social media (see below), expresses “outrage” that NJEA “chose to host a workshop that peddled hateful and inaccurate content that harms Jewish educators, students, and families.” It also quotes material from the NJEA workshop, including “Zionism is rooted in white supremacy, full stop,” that “evokes the age-old myth of Jewish excessive Jewish power”:

“At a time of record levels of antisemitism, NJEA platformed content demonizing Israel, Israelis, and Zionism, and recycled classic antisemitic tropes. Throughout the room, large posters like this one set the tone…The message and the live facilitated discussion reflected the workshop’s hostility towards mainstream Jewish identity.”

The second letter (which has not been publicly released) is from Annice Benamy, chair of NEA’s Jewish Affairs Caucus, and criticizes NJEA for promoting a “singular political narrative” that is “inappropriate for a session sponsored by our professional union”:

“I believe that NJEA should ensure all programming, particularly on complex global or cultural issues, reflects a balanced and fact-based approach that honors the diverse identities and beliefs of our members and students. Offering such a session without equally representing other perspectives sends an unfortunate message about whose voices are valued in our professional community.”

This is a developing story.