Supporting educators to reject the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) destructive role in schools.

FAQ: THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NEA) VOTED TO DROP THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE (ADL)

  1. What actually happened?

The National Education Association (NEA), the country’s largest labor union, held its annual Representative Assembly in early July. The Representative Assembly (RA) is the union’s 7000-person democratic body. Composed of delegates from state and local affiliates, student members, retired members, and other segments of the education community the RA deliberates and decides on actions and policies for the entire organization. Members of the RA submit New Business Items (NBI) which are discussed and voted on. 

At the July meeting over 90 NBIs were discussed. On July 6th the RA voted to approve NBI #39 which says, “NEA will not use, endorse, or publicize any materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), such as its curricular materials or its statistics. NEA will not participate in ADL programs or publicize ADL professional development offerings.”

  1. What does the vote mean?

The vote is historic because it signals a sea change in the rank-and-file support for a new position in support of Palestinian rights and in opposition to the normalization of unconditional support for Israel in K-12 education. Since the NEA does not have a partnership with the ADL, the NBI, if upheld, will only mandate the NEA to stop using ADL statistics and stop referencing ADL curriculum or professional development. It does not require state and local affiliates of the NEA to follow suit, and as a labor union, the NEA has no control over the policies of states, districts and schools, which is where curricular and programming decisions are made and vendor/consultant eligibility is determined.

Still, the NEA’s vote has dramatic influence on the awareness of the ADL’s harmful role as a political organization that presents itself falsely as a social justice partner in schools. It may also increase discussion about the real problem of antisemitism and other forms of racism, bigotry and discrimination in schools and critical thinking about how to distinguish constructive and effective approaches from ones like the ADL’s that are predicated on anti-Palestinian racism and divide and conquer politics.

  1. Why are so many educators against the ADL?

The ADL should not be involved with education for many reasons, including that the ADL:

  • is an anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic, and racist political advocacy organization that censors learning and undermines inquiry; 
  • produces faulty statistics about antisemitism to create alarm;
  • Falsely conflates  anti-Zionism and anti-war protest as antisemitic, undermining our constitutional rights to speech and assembly;
  • falsely accuses educators and educational institutions of hatred of Jews using reputational slander and lawfare; 
  • distracts attention from actual antisemitism coming from the US government, right-wing activists and white Christian nationalists. 

Find more information about the escalating criticism of the ADL from #DropTheADL and the Drop the ADL from Schools campaign.

  1. There are serious allegations of antisemitism at the Representative Assembly. Did that really happen?

Certain actors, including the ADL itself, have an interest in painting the educators supporting NBI #39 as antisemitic, but as usual, the accusations are both distorted and false. There was no campaign to reject NEA support of Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). In fact, the NEA already supported Jewish American Heritage Month. 

Two other NBIs were opposed, however. NBI #24 called up on the NEA to implement Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) in collaboration with the NEA Jewish Affairs Caucus (see p. 10). An amendment was made to simply remove “in collaboration with the Jewish Affairs Caucus (JAC)” because, as an anti-Zionist Jewish delegate explained at the RA mic, the JAC is intolerant of and bullies Jewish caucus members who are not Zionist, and doxes Jews, Palestinians and anyone who advocates for Palestinian rights. Also noted, the former chair of the JAC  was videotaped stepping on a keffiyeh, an important cultural symbol for Palestinians and others. Despite opposition to the one clause in the NBI, it passed.

Another NBI (#52) called upon the NEA to educate members about the US Department of State’s definition of antisemitism (IHRA) and include it in the Tools for Justice-Racial Justice in Education in collaboration with the JAC. (see p. 11). The IHRA definition of antisemitism, supported by the ADL, is highly controversial and is bad for educators because it treats some legal and legitimate criticism of Israel as religious hate speech, undermining the freedom to teach and the right to learn, and pits Jews and Palestinians against one another. According to educators present, two amendments, similar in scope,  were offered; both sought to change the definition from the IHRA definition to the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, (itself a flawed document). The JAC used a procedural mechanism to send the NBI to committee; this move prevented these  amendments from being viewed and debated by the full Representative Assembly. 

According to educators present at the RA, there was no booing or jeering at the discussion of these NBIs, and there was no celebration of the murder of a Jewish person in Colorado. The deliberate disinformation campaign about what happened at the NEA’s Representative Assembly is classic anti-Palestinian racism manifesting in the form of defamation. These lies defame Palestinians and all who oppose Israeli settler colonialism and genocide as antisemitic in an attempt to protect Israel and the ADL itself from scrutiny and criticism. This is evidenced by the robust backlash to the vote by the ADL and a large network of allied organizations that falsely paint opposition to the ADL as hatred of Jews.

  1. When will the decision to drop the ADL be implemented?

Because NEA doesn’t have a partnership with the ADL that can be severed, Standing Rule 6G (p. 10) regarding boycotts and sanctions applies: 

“New business relating to a boycott or sanction shall be referred to the Executive Committee. Prior to further action, NEA shall communicate with the state affiliate and local affiliate in which the affected company headquarters, organization, or governmental entity is located. Affected state affiliates that do not concur with the recommendations of the Executive Committee regarding a boycott will be allowed to file a rebuttal position paper that will be circulated to the Board of Directors together with the report of the Executive Committee. Further, the state president of any affected affiliate will be allowed time to address the Board of Directors before a vote is taken. The Board of Directors shall act on the report of the Executive Committee or transmit it to the Representative Assembly. In making such referral, the Representative Assembly may take a position for or against the action proposed in the new business item. The Board shall implement this position unless, after consideration of legal and other relevant factors, it deems by two-thirds (2/3) vote that such implementation would not be in the best interest of the Association. If the Representative Assembly takes a position on the new business item, the Board of Directors shall act on it at its initial meeting of the new fiscal year. Information and rationale regarding the boycott or sanction shall be provided to the affected affiliate(s) prior to public notification.”

While the process and timeline can be confusing, it is clear that state and local affiliates of the NEA must effectively influence the NEA Executive Committee and Board of Directors and be prepared to defend the vote at the 2026 Representative Assembly if necessary.

  1. How can I and my state and local unions support the RA’s vote to sever ties with the ADL?

Spread the word: the NEA should uphold the democratic decision of its own members, which is in alignment with the NEA’s commitment to champion justice and excellence in public education.

As appropriate, you can sign and distribute:

And follow and amplify:

  1. What if I face scrutiny or discipline for supporting the NEA vote or for advocating for Palestinian humanity?

There are several resources and organizational support to defend K12 educators who are being falsely accused of antisemitism for teaching about Palestine or expressing opposition to the genocide of Palestinians.

Additional resources

PARCEO for antisemitism curriculum in the framework of collective liberation

Rethinking Schools for ideas for teaching about Palestine

Zinn Education Project for antiracist teaching material