Overview
- On July 6, NEA delegates approved New Business Item 39 to ban any use or endorsement of ADL materials, designating the measure a sanction item and referring it to the Executive Committee for final sign-off.
- Delegates charged the ADL with abusing antisemitism claims to punish critics of Israel and labeling calls for Palestinian rights as hate speech.
- A newly recognized Arab-American Caucus and an Educators for Palestine Caucus spearheaded the “Drop the ADL” campaign, reflecting a shift toward integrating Palestinian rights into the union’s antiracist platform.
- The ADL condemned the vote as “profoundly disturbing” and accused NEA activists of pushing a “radical, antisemitic agenda,” while the Council on American-Islamic Relations welcomed the decision over concerns of anti-Palestinian bias.
- The vote breaks a nearly 40-year partnership in which the ADL provided curricular materials, teacher training and annual antisemitism reports to U.S. schools.