The U.S. House Education Committee has opened a probe into the National Education Association after its handbook downplayed Jewish suffering while spotlighting the Palestinian “Nakba.”
The National Education Association (NEA), America’s largest teachers’ union, is facing a formal congressional investigation over allegations that it has fostered antisemitism in classrooms and among its members, the Washington Free Beacon revealed Thursday.
The probe was announced in a letter from House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) to NEA President Rebecca Pringle, citing “grave concerns” about the union’s 2025 handbook and its recent resolutions.
Key flashpoints fueling the investigation include:
- Boycott of ADL materials: In July, the NEA’s Representative Assembly voted to ban Holocaust education resources from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), claiming the ADL’s definition of antisemitism was “too strong.” Leadership reversed the decision after backlash.
- 2025 Handbook Controversy: The handbook allegedly erased Jews from Holocaust remembrance, while devoting extensive space to teaching about the Palestinian Nakba of 1948, describing it as the “forced, violent displacement of 750,000 Palestinians.”
- Anti-Zionism push: The NEA committed to instructing members about “the difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism” and vowed to promote pro-Palestinian free speech in schools and universities.
Walberg’s letter demanded the union hand over all documents, minutes, and communications referencing “antisemitism,” “Israel,” “Israeli,” “Palestine,” or “Palestinian” dating back to October 7, 2023—the day Hamas carried out its massacre in Israel.
Lawmakers are now weighing severe repercussions, including legislation targeting antisemitism in labor unions and even the revocation of the NEA’s federal charter.
“This committee is considering legislative action to combat antisemitism in federally funded schools,” Walberg warned.
The NEA’s unprecedented scrutiny underscores a deepening clash over how America’s classrooms teach the Holocaust, Israel, and the Middle East conflict.
