ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt
The decision, announced Friday by NEA President Becky Pringle, came after the union's Representative Assembly voted last week in Portland, Oregon, to cut ties with the civil rights organization over its characterization of campus protests related to the Gaza conflict as antisemitic.
"Following the culmination of a thorough review process, it was determined that this proposal would not further NEA's commitment to academic freedom," Pringle said in a statement. The rejection preserves educators' access to ADL curricula and professional development programs that address antisemitism in educational settings.
The controversy highlights the complex challenges facing educational institutions as they navigate discussions about antisemitism, campus climate, and academic freedom in the aftermath of increased tensions following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and subsequent Gaza conflict.
The executive committee's decision followed an unprecedented coalition effort, with nearly 400 Jewish organizations and dozens of elected officials urging the NEA to reject the boycott proposal. The coalition argued that excluding ADL materials would harm efforts to combat antisemitism in schools and marginalize Jewish educators and students.
"This resolution was not just an attack on the ADL, but a larger attack against Jewish educators, students, and families," said a joint statement from ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations COO Stephanie Hausner, and Jewish Federations of North America Executive Vice President Shira Hutt.
The Jewish leaders emphasized that the proposed boycott would have normalized "antisemitic isolation, othering, and marginalization of Jewish teachers, students and families in our schools," even as teachers' unions have limited power to dictate curriculum.
