On Monday, the Jewish Federations of North America and 86 local Federations joined over 375 Jewish communal organizations, sent a letter to the National Education Association Executive Committee, urging them to reject New Business Item (NBI) 39, which calls for boycotting ADL's educational resources.
The other signatories include national, regional and local Jewish organizations, Holocaust museums and centers, schools and synagogues.
NBI 39 was adopted at the NEA Representative Assembly last week and is now under review by the NEA Executive Committee. If implemented, the resolution would effectively boycott ADL’s widely respected anti-bias and Holocaust education curricula, including programs used in thousands of schools nationwide.
“Calling for a National Education Association boycott of the Anti-Defamation League is an egregious example of the rising antisemitism in schools and society throughout North America,” said Eric Fingerhut, Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO.
“Jewish Federations across North America are calling on their local NEA chapters to insist that the NEA Executive Committee reject the resolution, condemn antisemitism, and urge schools and teachers to ensure that Jewish students can feel proud of their identity and fully welcome in the classroom.”
Prior to the communal letter's delivery, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt met with NEA President Becky Pringle to address the issues raised in the letter. Both leaders agreed to continue discussions.
“Excluding ADL’s gold-standard educational resources is not just an attack on our organization – it’s a dangerous attack on the entire Jewish community,” said Greenblatt. “We urge the NEA Executive Committee to reverse this biased, fringe effort, and reaffirm its commitment to supporting all Jewish students and educators.”
In addition to addressing NBI 39, the organizations also called for President Pringle to 1) Issue a strong condemnation of the antisemitism within the NEA; 2) Outline a plan of action to address antisemitism within NEA chapters; and 3) Reject any effort to use an educator’s support for the existence of Israel as a means to attack their identity. The letter also included a detailed list of recent incidents within teachers’ unions targeting or alienating the Jewish community.
"Jewish students and teachers are walking into schools each day with a growing sense of fear — fear of being targeted, harassed, or silenced simply for being Jewish,” said Sheila Katz, National Council of Jewish Women Chief Executive Officer. “Schools should be places of safety and belonging, not places where anyone feels unwelcome or unsafe. We urge the National Education Association's leadership to reject the measure to boycott the ADL and to work with the Jewish community to ensure every school has the tools to confront antisemitism and protect every student and educator."These efforts come as antisemitic incidents in independent K-12 schools have spiked 434 percent since 2020, with 860 incidents recorded in non-Jewish K-12 schools in 2024 according to ADL's Audit of Antisemitic Incidents.
"In an era of rising antisemitism, our students need more trusted resources about Jews, antisemitism, and fostering inclusion, not fewer," said Ted Deutch, AJC CEO. "Like the ADL, we at AJC have seen teachers' unions and faculty groups across the country setting a dangerous precedent of normalizing ahistorical and hateful language and ideas, as well as the exclusion of Jewish students and faculty. To foster truly inclusive educational environments that give our students the critical thinking skills they need, the Jewish community -- our voices, ideas, and identities -- must be welcomed, not turned away."
For four decades, ADL has partnered with schools, educators, and communities to provide anti-bias and anti-hate education programs. Signature programs include No Place for Hate®, a school climate improvement initiative that engages students and staff in dialogue and active learning on bias, bullying, inclusion, and allyship, and Echoes & Reflections, a Holocaust education program that provides classroom materials and professional development for educators and has served more than 168,000 educators and an estimated 10 million students across the United States.
“The National Education Association (NEA) General Assembly's decision to boycott the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is deeply troubling,” said Stephanie Hausner, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Chief Operating Officer. “This action does not merely target one organization — it sends a harmful message to the entire Jewish community and undermines decades of collaborative work to combat hate in our schools. We call on the NEA Executive Committee to reverse this shortsighted and divisive resolution. It does not reflect the values of the broader education community, nor does it serve the best interests of the students the NEA is meant to support. We, along with hundreds of Jewish organizations, stand united against this anti-Jewish hate. Unity in the face of antisemitism is not optional — it is essential.”