A report from the New England branch of the American Jewish Committee details efforts by the Massachusetts Teachers Association to slant classroom instruction against the Jewish state.
The AJC says the report, released on Dec. 12, shows the teachers union “waged an aggressive campaign that has encouraged K-12 teachers to become pro-Palestinian activists and bring anti-Israel propaganda into their classrooms.”
Examples of the MTA’s bias cited in the report include promoting “multiple one-sided anti-Israel resolutions,” including one making the accusation of genocide while failing to mention the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The report also noted the MTA’s sponsorship of programs that delegitimize Israel under the guise of attempting to address “anti-Palestinian racism,” and curating and providing educational resources about “Israel and Occupied Palestine.”
“This campaign risks politicizing K-12 classrooms across Massachusetts. Our schools should be places for education, not indoctrination,” said Rob Leikind, director of AJC New England. “The MTA’s actions over the last year raise questions about its commitment to this ideal. They also are contributing to an increasingly toxic environment for Jewish students and families.”
Leikind told JNS about an MTA meeting over the weekend that resulted in a pullback from further “demonization” of the Jewish state.
“Among the issues for consideration were two measures calling for divestment from concerns doing business with the Israeli military,” Leikind told JNS. “I was not a witness to the deliberations, but according to people who were, the board voted overwhelmingly to remove from both resolutions language that referenced Israel.”
He explained to JNS that “it was a resolution recommending that pension funds associated with the union divest from businesses engaged with the Israeli military.”
Leikind noted that AJC had not seen the final resolutions but said that “specific content about Israel, singling out Israel, has been removed.”
“The general terms of the resolutions now apply more broadly,” he said. “In other words, it’s no longer strictly about Israel. It was about military contractors in general.”
He said “it is important to note that there are Jewish teachers and others, including AJC, who have been working to get the MTA leadership to step back from its current course. The MTA board’s decision would be a good start.”
