US House Committee launches investigation into anti-Jewish bias in nation’s largest teachers’ union

The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce has launched an investigation into antisemitism within the National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest and most influential teachers’ union.

On Thursday, U.S. Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI) sent a letter to NEA President Becky Pringle, calling out the union for banning materials produced by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and for having antisemitic content published in the 2025 NEA Union handbook.

“Specifically, the Committee is gravely concerned about antisemitic content in the NEA’s 2025 handbook and the NEA Representative Assembly’s vote in July 2025 to ban materials by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL),” Walberg wrote. “This investigation will aid the Committee in considering whether potential legislative changes, including legislation to specifically address antisemitic discrimination within labor unions and to combat antisemitism in federally funded schools, are needed.”

In one example, the latest version of the NEA handbook states that it will promote International Holocaust Remembrance Day, “to recognize more than 12 million victims of the Holocaust from different faiths, ethnicities, races, political beliefs, genders, and gender identification, abilities/disabilities, and other targeted characteristics.” However, it omits any reference to Nazi Germany’s specific aim of exterminating Europe’s Jewish population.

The handbook also states that the NEA will “educate members and the general public about the history of the Palestinian Nakba” or 'catastrophe' in Arabic, which it defines as "the forced, violent displacement and dispossession of at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland in 1948 during the establishment of the State of Israel.”

Palestinian Nakba education, the handbook states, "is essential for understanding the Palestinian diaspora narrative and experience, including the ongoing trauma of our Palestinian American students today. Teaching about the Nakba fosters critical thinking and empathy among students, promoting a deeper understanding of historical injustices and their contemporary ramifications."

Notably, the text provides no historical context about Israel’s creation, the UN’s role in establishing a Jewish homeland, or the attempts by neighboring Arab states to destroy the new nation in 1948.

The NEA issued a press release on July 24, defending the handbook as a collection of governance documents –rather than classroom materials – and reaffirming its long-standing opposition to antisemitism. Pringle emphasized the union’s commitment to Holocaust education and Jewish inclusion. Critics, however, said the release sidestepped key omissions – such as Nazi Germany’s intent to exterminate Jews – and did not address the controversial July 8 vote to ban ADL materials.

Walberg called out the NEA for its reliance on “existing digital communication tools to educate members about the difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism” and said “the inclusion of this subject not only appears to reflect an ignorance of the perspective of Jewish people but also a potential animus towards them.

The House Committee has put heavy pressure on universities for alleged antisemitic policies and procedures regarding violent incidents and protests since Oct. 7, 2023.

The committee has also demanded that the NEA provide all documentation and communication produced by leadership concerning Israel, antisemitism, and Palestine since the beginning of the war. The committee has additionally required all documents referring to the Gaza War and the previous vote to ban materials published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

In his Aug. 21 letter, Walberg raised concerns about a July 8 NEA Representative Assembly vote that resolved the union would no longer “use, endorse, or publicize” ADL materials, including its curricula and statistics. He noted that Jewish members of the union warned the measure “sends a troubling message of exclusion” amid rising hate, with one teacher saying, “some of our NEA members don’t feel safe.”

Polling by the Pew Research Center reveals that 82% of Jewish adults in the United States consider “caring about Israel” to be an essential part of Jewish identity.

The NEA has until Sept. 4 to respond to the investigation.

The National Education Association is the largest labor union in the United States, representing over three million members, including K–12 teachers, higher education faculty, school staff, administrators, retired educators, future teachers and healthcare workers.