Nation’s Largest Teachers’ Union Embraces Anti-Zionist Curriculum
The National Education Association (NEA), America’s largest teachers’ union, representing nearly three million educators, voted at its Representative Assembly in Portland, Oregon, to sever ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a civil rights organization long known for combating antisemitism and providing educational resources on the Holocaust and bias in schools.
The decision, encapsulated in New Business Item 39, prohibits the NEA from using, endorsing, or publicizing ADL materials, including its curricula and statistics, and from participating in ADL programs. This move, narrowly passed by over 6,000 delegates, is now under review by the NEA’s Executive Committee, with no board meeting yet scheduled to finalize the decision.
Right off the bat, it must be said that this will not be a defense of the ADL. Prior to the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, the organization, under CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, decided to become a tool of the Left and ignored its core mission of defending Jewish communities. The ADL seemed far more interested in pronouns and intersectional hierarchy than the frequent attacks on the Jewish community by Democrats. When Zohran Mamdani introduced the “Not On Our Dime Act” – which seeks to shut down every Jewish not-for-profit and synagogue – in the New York State Assembly, the ADL couldn’t be found. Yet, the NEA’s decision to cut ties is not a rejection of the ADL’s missteps but a far more troubling signal about the union’s priorities.
The NEA’s vote is not about seeking alternative pro-Israel or even neutral educational resources. The critique from the pro-Israel Jewish community on the ADL is that they are too far to the Left on these issues. The NEA actually views the ADL as too far to the Right on Israel. The great crime that the ADL has in the eyes of the NEA is their insistence that Israel should actually remain in existence.
This move reflects a deliberate shift toward curricula that vilify Israel. The union’s resolution stems from a belief, articulated by delegates like Stephen Siegel, that the ADL’s definition of antisemitism—rooted in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s framework—wrongly equates criticism of Israel with Jew-hatred. Siegel, a special education teacher from Oregon, compared allowing the ADL to define antisemitism to letting the fossil fuel industry define climate change. That analogy is completely backward. It’s essentially the equivalent of demanding that David Duke should define what racism is.
This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader trend that mirrors developments in higher education. Universities like the City University of New York (CUNY) have seen a systematic purge of Jewish and pro-Israel administrators, replaced by those more sympathetic to anti-Zionist narratives. At Columbia University, text messages from administrators revealed discussions about removing a Jewish board member in favor of an Arab one, exposing a willingness to prioritize identity politics over merit or fairness. With this kind of narrative coming from the top of these institutions, it is no wonder that the campuses have been overrun with pro-Hamas protesters who demand Jewish blood.
The education system has been overrun by Leftists for several generations at this point, and they have decided that college is too late to start indoctrinating students with the view that Israel is inherently evil. By rejecting the ADL, the NEA is signaling that it prefers narratives that align with groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which praised the vote, claiming the ADL spreads “anti-Palestinian rhetoric” and opposes movements like Black Lives Matter. CAIR’s support, alongside endorsements from groups like American Muslims for Palestine, underscores the ideological shift: the NEA is not seeking balance but embracing a framework that demonizes Israel and, by extension, Jews who support it.
The implications extend beyond the classroom. By embedding anti-Israel narratives in K–12 education, the NEA is shaping the worldview of future generations, including those who will become elected officials. If students are taught from an early age that Israel is a pariah state, responsible for global injustice, it’s no leap to imagine a future where U.S. policy toward its greatest Middle Eastern ally grows even more hostile.
The NEA also has outsized control of the Democrat Party. The NEA has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Democrats over the years, far more than the bogeymen that the media talk about like the National Rifle Association (NRA) or AIPAC. Democratic administrations staff up the Department of Education with NEA-approved picks. The move toward isolating and demonizing Israel at this level goes beyond the education system.
It is impossible to train young people not to hate Jews when there is an inherent flaw in how we educate on good vs. evil. The concept that good and evil are directly related to power dynamics is categorically false, yet it is the gospel of the educational system. As long as that remains the case, and as long as Jews are not the victims that the world wants us to be, we will be attacked and demonized. The NEA is not only a part of that trend, but with this vote, they are signaling that they are willing to lead the charge.
Moshe Hill is a political analyst and columnist. His work can be found at www.aHillwithaView.com and on X at @HillWithView.
