Stop Extreme Anti-Israel Bias in Education Training

This week, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) is hosting a session titled “Teaching Palestine” at its annual convention.

As outlined in Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s recent letter to NJEA leadership, the presenters and materials promote inaccurate extremist, anti-Israel political views, distort the history of Israel, and misrepresent antisemitism — all under the guise of professional development for teachers.

One of the presenters has publicly defended organizations that glorify or justify violence against Jews and Israelis — a fact that makes their inclusion in a state-endorsed educator training session deeply troubling.

This is not about opposing education on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is about ensuring that professional development for New Jersey educators is factual, balanced, and free from extremist bias or political indoctrination.

Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey (JFNNJ), through its Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC), provides schools with trusted, non-partisan resources for teaching about antisemitism, hate, and the Holocaust.

We are calling on state legislators to hold hearings to examine why this session was approved, what standards, methodology, or criteria the NJEA uses to identify or prevent bias in its programming, and how such content was permitted in a professional learning forum.

Make your voice heard, take action now! Fill out this Action Alert to demand legislative hearings into NJEA’s anti-Israel bias educator training.

Dear [Lawmaker],

As a New Jersey resident, I am deeply concerned that the NJEA’s “Teaching Palestine” session — being presented this week at the NJEA annual convention — exposes our educators to extremist, anti-Israel, and misleading content.

According to Congressman Josh Gottheimer’s November 3 letter, the program’s materials distort the history of Israel, misrepresent antisemitism, and promote boycotts of the world’s only Jewish state. One presenter is affiliated with groups that have excused or justified Hamas’s October 7 terror attacks.

Professional-development programs for educators should be grounded in facts, balance, and respect, not political activism or bias. Our classrooms must remain places of learning — not platforms for propaganda.

I respectfully urge you to hold hearings to review how this session was approved, to hear directly from NJEA leadership, and to require a clear explanation of the review, evaluation, and vetting methodology and criteria the NJEA uses — or should use — to prevent ideological bias in educator programming. These hearings are vital to ensuring that professional development in New Jersey remains factual, objective, and inclusive for all communities.

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to New Jersey’s students and educators.

Sincerely,
______

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