LA teacher union hit with false antisemitism claim

One tactic opponents of teachers unions often use is to seize upon a disgruntled current or former union member’s complaints, distort them, then, deploying friendly conservative media, greatly amplify them. 

Union opponents’ latest cause celebre is former Los Angeles Unified School District educator Amy Leserman, founder of the Educators Caucus for Israel. Leserman claims that United Teachers Los Angeles expelled her from a recent UTLA House of Representatives session because she’s an outspoken Jewish supporter of Israel. She has successfully taken her case to major conservative media, mainstream media, the Jewish press, and more.

She has also gained sympathy from US Department of Justice official Leo Terrell, who warns “Trust me UTLA: You will hear from me!” columnist Howard Lovy, who says UTLA is “Purging unions of Jews”, author Kevin Deutsch, who calls it an “Antizionist Purge”, David Englin, Senior Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League Los Angeles, who calls her expulsion “deeply troubling”, and others.

Leserman’s claims are not accurate. I know–I was there, and I voted on the motion to eject her from the HoR meeting.

She was not expelled for her strident Zionism, nor for being “the only Orthodox Jew in the room”, or for any other untoward reason. Leserman’s expulsion was instead an expression of HoR members’ frustration with her actions. These include:

• aiding anti-union forces in suing UTLA
• making inaccurate and unwarranted accusations against UTLA online and in major media

Leserman worked with the anti-union Freedom Foundation in filing a 2024 lawsuit seeking to undo California’s “exclusive representation” provisions as they apply to the Los Angeles Unified School District. FF’s lawsuit asserts that these provisions are unconstitutional because they compel the litigants–five Jewish LAUSD teachers–to accept the allegedly antisemitic union, UTLA, as their sole bargaining agent.

Eliminating UTLA’s exclusive representation for LAUSD teachers and dividing the LAUSD educator bargaining unit among multiple bargaining representatives would dramatically weaken all LAUSD teachers’ bargaining position and lead to a substantial deterioration of our working conditions, pay, and benefits. 

The lawsuit, dismissed in July by Los Angeles District Court Judge Stephen Wilson, is now before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and could reach the US Supreme Court, where its conservative majority would likely be sympathetic.

FF’s legal complaint opens with the thesis “UTLA supports calls for the destruction of Plaintiffs’ religious homeland, and promotes animosity and violence towards people of Jewish descent.” However, it never comes close to substantiating any of this. 

Leserman is the source of many of the allegations FF is using. Both she and Israeli-American Civic Action Network CEO Dillon Hosier, an advisor to Leserman’s organization, are cited in FF’s legal complaint, and Leserman’s organization is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) educational affiliate of Hosier’s. Both have made or been involved in making false public accusations against UTLA.

For example, Leserman’s organization posted that UTLA “enthusiastically endorses the extermination of #Jews.” 

In a press release about a UTLA workshop on pro-Palestinian activism, Hosier actually says, “What we are witnessing in this leaked footage is UTLA’s version of Wannsee.” In an X post, Hosier threatens the UTLA educators presenting: “Enemies of Israel, pay attention. And I hope you’re not wearing a pager.”

Since her June 3 expulsion, Leserman has publicly denounced former UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz, claiming that at the session she was the target of a “40-minute rant directed toward” her that Myart-Cruz allowed to “go on.” 

This is not true–there was no 40 minute “rant”, there was a debate over her expulsion, and it lasted 40 minutes because those who opposed the motion to expel Leserman were given exactly as much time to argue against it as given to those arguing in favor of it. This included numerous Jewish members on both sides of the debate. 

Some of those opposed to the expulsion supported Leserman, while others condemned Leserman’s actions but argued that the proposed expulsion violates UTLA rules.

The allegations of antisemitism made by Leserman, Hosier, FF, and their co-thinkers all boil down to the fact that most UTLA members simply don’t agree with their views of Israel’s actions in Gaza. That’s not antisemitism.

Leserman accuses the UTLA HoR of an excessive focus on Israel. Some of the HoR resolutions brought forward in recent years include: calling for a Gaza ceasefire; placing an arms embargo on Israel; divesting our pension fund of investments in American and Israeli armaments and security industries; and ceasing endorsements of Congressmen who have voted for military aid to Israel. 

The wisdom of some of these resolutions can be debated but, given what has transpired in Gaza since October of 2023, they’re hardly extreme, and are in fact very common internationally. 

All of the resolutions originated with UTLA members themselves and were voted on democratically. When debating them, defenders of Israel have had just as much time to speak in opposition as supporters–many of whom are Jewish–have had. UTLA members who are supporters of Israel also have the right to put forward their own resolutions.

Because Leserman is a retired UTLA member, she has the right to be a part of the retirees’ House of Representatives. She does not have the right to be a part of UTLA’s HoR–she was there as a guest. 

Leserman’s ejection from the meeting was not antisemitic nor even anti-Zionist. It was instead a response to a series of Leserman’s actions against our union and its members.