NYC H.S. Principal Promotes Antisemetic Seminar for Teachers
By Henry Levy
The Principal of NYC's Department of Education's first virtual high school, Virtual Innovators Academy shared, "With Appreciation" an email aimed at educators to participate in a virtual seminar promoting an anti-Israel agenda.
This event is being hosted by an organization called NYC Educators for Palestine. Although the name suggests it is connected to NYC government it is not. They are gearing this session to K-12 classroom teachers and on the agenda were plans to share original lessons and materials "developed on topics such as Palestinian history, the history of Israeli occupation, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza." They continued that "every teacher who attends the curriculum share will leave with a collection of lessons they can use with their students."
Principal Terri Grey of VIA shared this request to attend this hateful seminar and a copy was forwarded to Voices for Truth and Humanity (where I am an officer) and the Jewish Post.
The Jewish Post immediately sent the email it received (shown below) to representatives of NYC School Chancellor Banks, Mayor Adams, major Jewish organizations and public officials to ensure the event would be canceled and those promoting it would be held accountable.
It is through disseminating misleading information that ignores the full picture, that young children can be swayed to not only hate Israel but Jewish people as well. This is happening across America and across the world in such a dangerous manner as to alarm so many of us and remind us of the prelude leading up to Nazi Germany's wish to exterminate all Jews.
When the Jewish Post's outreach to the Chancellor and Mayor fell on deaf ears, we shared our information with the New York Post. They researched it and wrote about it in a full page article "How to Teach Bigotry." (See their story below). The New York Post also ran an editorial on this issue "No Teaching Hate" that castigated NYC Educators for Palestine and school Principal Terri Gray. It also put the Mayor and Chancellor on notice that issuing plans to fight antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate are not enough and they will be judged not on their words but on results.
The Jewish Post will pursue this issue and all others that promote Jew hatred.
