House report alleges antisemitism in school curricula

A House Education and Workforce Committee report released Wednesday alleges that antisemitic and anti-Israel material appeared in Philadelphia and Berkeley school curricula and criticizes the National Education Association’s support for educational organizations. Philadelphia officials reject the report’s characterization, saying the district is taking steps to address concerns and does not agree with the findings. The committee described the issues as systemic, citing curriculum materials and staff activity in both districts. In Philadelphia, the report highlighted a world history assignment that listed the Great March of Return as a resistance movement students could honor, and a lesson asking students to characterize the United States and Israel as terrorists. Those examples are the committee’s interpretation of materials it reviewed; the underlying allegations have not been independently established in the reporting. In Berkeley, the committee said an ethnic studies unit used a Middle East map labeling Israel as Palestine and included materials it considered favorable to anti-Israel activists. It also criticized an Israel-Palestine lesson for, in the committee’s view,...