“At a time of rising hate, when students are increasingly exposed to extremist content online and in their communities, educators need more tools, not fewer. Holocaust and antisemitism education help students understand history, recognize warning signs, and build empathy that protects all vulnerable communities.”
The proposal by the NEA, whose more than three million members include classroom teachers, education support professionals, higher education faculty and retired educators, has not yet been officially adopted; after consideration by the NEA Executive Committee, it will then be sent to the union’s Board of Directors for approval, the NEA spokesperson told CNN.
According to the news outlet Mondoweiss, union delegates speaking at the assembly rejected the ADL’s “abuse of the term ‘antisemitism’ to punish critics of Israel” and its use of “hyperinflated statistics” on antisemitic hate crimes to drive up fear about Jewish safety, as well as its “characterization of calls for Palestinian rights as ‘hate speech.’”
“Allowing the ADL to determine what constitutes antisemitism would be like allowing the fossil fuel industry to determine what constitutes climate change,” NEA delegate Stephen Siegel said from the assembly floor, according to Mondoweiss.
A transcript of the NEA assembly proceedings reportedly showed that several Jewish delegates decried the measure, with one Massachusetts teacher saying that supporting the motion “is a message to Jewish educators and Jewish students that we are not safe in education spaces”. However, more spoke in favor of the measure.
The Jewish-Palestinian solidarity group Jewish Voice for Peace protested against the ADL in downtown Washington, D.C. earier this year 2025. (Photo by KIA RASTAR/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
The ADL has been working for nearly 40 years to help develop course curricula and train teachers to combat antisemitism in primary and secondary schools. However, in March, a coalition of progressive Jewish groups protested at the ADL’s annual summit on antisemitism over its purported support for US President Donald Trump, accusing the group of softening its criticism of far-right figures as long as they support Israel.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has taken an increasingly hard line on anti-Zionism, not least in his approach to teachers and labour unions deemed to be biased against Israel. Last month Greenblatt compared college student pro-Palestine protesters to Islamic terrorists in comments to Republican officials.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt speaks onstage ADL's Never Is Now at Javits Center on March 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Anti-Defamation League)Getty Images for Anti-Defamation
While unions do not typically determine the programming and curriculum in schools, the passage of the NEA's measure to cut ties with the ADL affirms the growing popularity of the movement #DroptheADLFromSchools, which argues that the organisation distorts understandings of antisemitism by including anti-Zionism in its criteria and promotes pro-Israel bias in its course materials for schools.
“Like policymakers and major media outlets, schools mistakenly rely on the ADL as a credible source of information about what constitutes antisemitism and its extent in the United States today,” the #DroptheADLFromSchools movement website reads.
In a response to the JC regarding accusations by the #DroptheADLFromSchools, an ADL spokesperson said:
“For years, a fringe group fueled by fierce hatred of Israel has attempted to promote an antisemitic campaign known as ‘Drop the ADL,’ falsely portraying our support for the Jewish State's right to exist as part of a ‘racist’ agenda.
"This baseless smear campaign mischaracterizes our mission and distracts from our century-long work to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice for all. We remain steadfast in our nonpartisan fight against antisemitism and extremism, undeterred by these outrageous and false accusations,” the ADL spokesperson said.
At NEA’s conference last year, delegates were reportedly slated to vote on nine resolutions targeting Israel, including one boycotting Israel and another to educate members on the difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Because the conference ended early due to a strike, the items were never voted on.
The ADL does not currently have any partnerships with the NEA that would be affected by the measure to cut ties, but the two groups have signed on to rights-related coalition letters together in the past.
