The Massachusetts Teachers Association elected as its next vice president Deb Gesualdo, a union leader who signed a letter urging the National Education Association to stop using educational materials from the Anti-Defamation League, accusing the Jewish civil rights group of promoting “Zionist supremacy.”
Gesualdo, president of the Malden Education Association and a K-8 music teacher, was elected earlier this month alongside incoming MTA president Matt Bach. The pair will begin their two-year terms on July 15.
The open letter Gesualdo signed specifically criticizes the NEA’s relationship with the ADL and opposes the use of the group’s educational resources. The letter accused the ADL of advancing “the antisemitic belief that Jewish people are a monolith” and described allegations of antisemitism as “bad-faith claims” meant to “undermine resistance to that genocide.”
“While NEA leadership claims it consulted with both Jewish and Muslim community groups on this issue, it is effectively promoting the ADL’s antisemitic belief that Jewish people are a monolith,” the letter stated. “Now more than ever, we must not be distracted by bad-faith claims of antisemitism designed to undermine resistance to that genocide.”
The letter also objected to the ADL’s support for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted or endorsed by dozens of countries and organizations worldwide. Signatories argued that the NEA should instead combat what they described as “actual antisemitism—emanating from the far right—by using and recommending justice-oriented curricula and training aligned with its mission.”
Gesualdo has previously backed pro-Palestinian initiatives within the MTA. In 2023, she seconded a union resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and criticizing U.S. support for Israel during the war against Hamas.
The MTA, which represents roughly 117,000 educators and school employees across Massachusetts, has faced criticism from Jewish groups and some local teachers unions over its positions on Israel and Gaza.
