NEA Teachers' Union Drops Anti-Defamation League Amid School Antisemitism Crisis
The Largest Teachers' Union in the U.S. Ends its Partnership with the ADL — as Jewish Students Face Record Levels of Hate and Harassment in K-12 Settings
In a landmark decision, the National Education Association (NEA)—the largest union of educators in the United States—has voted to sever all ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The move, driven by the NEA’s Educators for Palestine caucus and formalized at the union’s annual Representative Assembly, directs the NEA to stop using, endorsing, or publicizing any ADL materials, including curricular resources and statistics. This unprecedented step comes at a time when antisemitism is sharply rising in American schools, with Jewish students and families increasingly reporting incidents of hate, harassment, and exclusion in K-12 classrooms across the country.
A Historic Break: NEA Votes to Drop the ADL
On July 6th, the National Education Association (NEA), the country’s largest teachers’ union, voted to sever all ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). This decision, passed by the NEA’s 7,000-member Representative Assembly, means that the NEA will no longer use, endorse, or publicize ADL materials—including widely used curricular resources and hate crime statistics—in K-12 schools across the United States.
The measure, championed by the NEA’s Educators for Palestine caucus, was justified with claims that the ADL is “not the social justice educational partner it claims to be.” Critics within the caucus accused the ADL of “abusing the term ‘antisemitism’ to punish critics of Israel,” “hyperinflating statistics on hate crimes,” and “characterizing calls for Palestinian rights as hate speech.”
A delegate speaking on the assembly floor declared, “Allowing the ADL to determine what constitutes antisemitism would be like allowing the fossil fuel industry to determine what constitutes climate change.” Such rhetoric, widely criticized as sensational and misleading by outside observers, played a pivotal role in the NEA’s decision.
The Drop the ADL Campaign: A Coordinated Network
The broader "Drop the ADL" movement launched in August 2020, with an open letter signed by over 200 progressive organizations demanding that community institutions "reconsider their partnerships with the ADL.” Notable signatories included the Democratic Socialists of America, Movement for Black Lives, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
The droptheadl.org website serves as the primary hub for the general campaign, featuring comprehensive resources and arguments against partnering with the ADL. A scholastic based offshoot, droptheadlfromschools.org, specifically targets educational institutions with focused messaging urging schools to "cut all ties with the ADL. Amidst the push, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), who is currently under federal investigation for financing terrorism, claimed droptheadl.org as one of it’s “projects,” on its website.
The coordinated effort extends far beyond simple advocacy, providing a comprehensive infrastructure for activists. The campaign offers detailed toolkits, sample letters to policymakers, strategic guidance for local campaigns, and criteria for choosing alternative anti-bias educators.
What is the National Education Association?
The National Education Association is the largest labor union in the United States, representing approximately 3 million education professionals nationwide. Founded in 1857, the NEA serves as the collective bargaining agent for teachers, school support staff, and higher education faculty across the country. The union's annual Representative Assembly brings together nearly 7,000 delegates who vote on policies and priorities that guide the organization's work.
However, in recent years, the NEA has undergone a significant ideological shift. The union has increasingly embraced what critics describe as radical progressive activism, moving beyond traditional labor concerns to take positions on complex geopolitical issues. This transformation has been driven in large part by the emergence of new caucuses within the union that have successfully pushed through controversial resolutions.
NEA Educators for Palestine: The Driving Force
The NEA Educators for Palestine caucus represents the primary organizational force behind the union's dramatic shift on Middle Eastern issues. This group emerged from the convergence of several existing caucuses, including the Arab-American Caucus and the newly recognized Middle East/North Africa (MENA) Caucus, which gained formal recognition in 2024.
The caucus has been instrumental in driving a series of increasingly radical resolutions through the NEA's annual assemblies. In 2024, they successfully introduced multiple "New Business Items" designed to reshape the union's stance on Israel and Palestine, including measures to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, educate members about what they call the "Nakba," and distinguish between "anti-Zionism" and "antisemitism".
The group's activities extend well beyond policy advocacy. Members of Educators for Palestine have been documented sharing inflammatory content on social media, including videos featuring chants of "from the river to the sea" and "we don't want no Zionists here". These slogans have been widely recognized by Jewish organizations and security experts as calling for the elimination of Israel and potentially inciting violence against Jewish people.
On social media, the Instagram accounts of the NEA’s Education for Palestine caucus and #droptheADLfromschools frequently collaborate on posts, further underscoring the direct connection between the NEA initiative and a group linked to AMP.
The Bigger Picture: Antisemitism Rising in K-12 Schools
Recent studies show that nearly half of Jewish students in private K-12 schools report experiencing or witnessing antisemitic incidents, with swastikas and other hate symbols appearing in classrooms across the country. The ADL documented over 1,100 antisemitic incidents in K-12 settings in 2023 alone, a 434% increase since 2020. Many parents express frustration that diversity and inclusion programs often overlook or even propagate antisemitism, leaving Jewish students feeling unwelcome and unsafe.
By cutting ties with the ADL, the NEA risks depriving schools of one of the few organizations with a proven track record in combating hate and supporting Jewish students. As ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt warned, “Allowing or even promoting antisemitism within classrooms sends a message that Jewish students are not welcome. It’s wrong. It’s hateful. And it must stop.”