#teaching while muslim

[eretzyisrael]

Portland Educator Sues Teachers Union Over Promotion of Anti-Semitic Material, Events

A Portland high school teacher is suing the school district, teachers' union, and school board for alleged discrimination against his religi

by James Mortensen

A Portland high school teacher is suing the school district, teachers’ union, and school board on the claim that they have discriminated against his religious beliefs and national origin as an Israeli-born Jew. 

The teacher’s union distributed anti-Israel teaching material such as “Teaching while Muslim” and “Woke Kindergarten.” Both resources state that Jewish people who hold the traditional views of their religion are racist bullies. 

Additionally, the Portland Association of Teachers allegedly held anti-Israel events while frequently displaying anti-Israel messages and symbols in classes.

The teacher identifies as John Doe out of a “concern of retribution from the union and school district,” as the teacher has called his school a “forum for one-sided, anti-Israel rhetoric,” and that the school's administration allegedly permitted postings of Palestinian flags and print-out maps of Palestine that eliminated Israel.

When he asked if he could display the flag of Israel, he was dismissed as it would be “too disruptive,” according to the suit that was filed on May 19th, 2025.

The suit also reveals a lesson plan provided by the teachers' union, which was in a workbook for grades 1-5. The lesson describes the history of Israel and Palestine, and it’s been criticized for demonizing Jews and supporters of Zionism. 

This was accomplished by focusing on the everyday destruction faced by Palestinians without mentioning the origins of the Israel-Hamas War. 

Repeatedly, the Portland school district and teachers’ union failed to represent him, but instead chose to antagonize him and his beliefs.

Not only does he feel like he’s a victim of discrimination, but Doe feels as though his First Amendment right of association is being violated as he’s being compelled to be represented by an organization that contradicts his values, and has failed to protect him from discrimination in the workplace.

The reason he is compelled to be represented by the teachers’ union is that Oregon is a state of exclusive representation. 

States of exclusive representation require public employees, regardless of union membership, to be represented by a designated union. As such, Doe has no choice but to be represented by a union that instructed him and his coworkers against his core beliefs.

Aaron Withe, CEO of the Freedom Foundation, which is currently representing Doe in the suit, released a statement:

“These educators didn’t sign up for politics or propaganda — they signed up to teach. Instead, Oregon law has bound them to an organization that violates their faith and their First Amendment rights. We refuse to stand by while this continues. We will hold the union and the district accountable.”

The Freedom Foundation also filed a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging that the School District violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Doe and fostering a hostile work environment.

[eretzyisrael]

Exclusive | Antisemitism in NYC schools fueled by foreign actors, activist educators: report

Activists have infiltrated NYC public schools with anti-Israel materials, fostering bias and hatred of Jews,  a new report charges.

By Susan Edelman and Deirdre Bardolf

Activists and foreign actors have infiltrated the city’s public schools with anti-Israel materials, fostering bias and hatred of Jews, according to a new report by a nonprofit think tank.

Teacher groups like NYC Educators for Palestine have collaborated with extremist organizations, some allegedly tied to hostile foreign governments and terrorist groups, to bring “radical, anti-American ideologies” into schools, said the Network Contagion Research Institute, or NCRI, and the advocacy group New York City Public School Alliance, which co-wrote the report.

“The report exposes how the Department of Education’s vetted resources enable radical sympathizers to shape young minds with biased information,” said Tova Plaut, a DOE pre-K coordinator and co-founder with teacher Karen Feldman of NYCPS Alliance, a group of Jewish educators who contributed to the project.

8An “Arab World” classroom map at Brooklyn’s PS 261 that excluded Israel was provided by the Qatar Foundation, an arm of the country’s ruling family, which has donated $1 million to NYC schools.

8The report found a network of “radical” curriculum developers, activist educator groups and foreign influences that have contributed to the infiltration of anti-Israel materials within the NYC public school system.NCRI

Set for release this week, the report cites DOE documents, school events and staff social media posts as evidence of its findings.

It calls on the DOE to immediately conduct a curriculum review; enforce the chancellor’s anti-discrimination policies; adopt a definition of antisemitism and mandate training on it; and increase oversight of foreign funding.

“If these ideas are left unchecked, they will be internalized by a new generation of students, who will then  graduate, attend university, vote, enter the workforce, and raise families of their own, further embedding antisemitic beliefs into wider American society,” the NCRI and NYC Public Schools Alliance said.

Among the findings:

The DOE’s recommended resources for teachers include the Zinn Education Project, which provide lessons, workshops and articles highly critical of Israel and the US.

The DOE staff resource list links to the Zinn website, which features a section on “Teaching About Palestine-Israel and the Unfolding Genocide in Gaza” that claims, “Israel has turned Gaza into a ‘graveyard for children.”

Beacon High School in Midtown used Zinn lessons and articles, along with videos from Arab news network Al Jazeera, for a 10th-grade social studies class on the Israel-Palestine conflict, emails reviewed by The Post show.

The content “demonized Jews” while referring to Hamas as “a political party and militant group,” not as terrorists, parents said.

Other resources available for NYC teachers to use at “their discretion” include those from the Teach Palestine project, which gives materials that emphasize “Palestinian victimhood” and frame Zionism as a “colonialist” movement.

Teach Palestine is financially supported by the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA), a California-based nonprofit with reported ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

In May, the PTA of Ella Baker School, a public elementary on the Upper West Side, hosted a “Teach Palestine” webinar, sponsored by Rethinking Schools, the report said.

Materials covered topics such as “anti-Zionism is not automatically antisemitism,” and “Israel’s attacks on children, schools, and historical memory in Palestine.”

These potentially violate Chancellor’s Regulation A-830, according to the report. 

The report cites two groups, NYC Educators For Palestine, an arm of the UFT caucus MORE, and Teaching While Muslim, which hosted a virtual “curriculum share” for 80 teachers in February.