When teaching tolerance becomes politicized

In a stunning and deeply troubling move, the National Education Association (NEA)—one of the largest teachers’ unions in the country—has cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), citing pressure from far-left activist groups who accuse the ADL of being “pro-Israel” and therefore, somehow, incompatible with social justice.

Let that sink in.

An organization that for over a century has fought bigotry, championed civil rights, and developed nationally respected anti-hate education—especially Holocaust education—is now deemed unworthy of partnership in America’s classrooms. What message does this send to Jewish students across the country?

Already, only 12 states require Holocaust education by law. Most of those curricula were developed or informed by the ADL and similar organizations. Without the ADL’s influence and resources, the foundation for teaching about antisemitism, genocide, and the historical warning signs of hatred is on the verge of collapse. If we can’t even agree that the Holocaust is worthy of instruction—if the experience of the Jewish people can be erased under the guise of politics—then we are not educating; we are indoctrinating.

This isn’t just a curriculum change, it’s a chilling cultural shift. Jewish children across the country are watching their history erased, their safety deprioritized, and their identity politicized. What will it mean for them to walk into classrooms where their community’s trauma is deemed unteachable? How will they feel when their peers are taught about every other form of hate—except the one most targeted toward them?

It’s important to remember that antisemitism is at a historic high in America, especially on college campuses and in public schools. Now more than ever, our students need allies and institutions that take their safety seriously. By cutting ties with the ADL, the NEA has signaled that Jewish students and their concerns are expendable. That is a betrayal, plain and simple.

What does this mean for the future? It means Jewish parents will have to fight harder. We’ll have to push school boards to adopt independent Holocaust and antisemitism education. We’ll have to speak out when unions and educators politicize Jewish identity. We’ll have to organize, protect, and advocate in ways we never imagined we’d need to in America.

Because if we don’t, no one else will.

This is not just about a broken partnership. This is about whether the American education system still believes that Jewish lives—and Jewish history—matter.