CAIR-NJ Calls on State Board of Education to Sever Ties with ADL After NEA Vote
CAIR-NJ Calls on State Board of Education to Sever Ties with ADL After NEA Vote
(NEWARK, NJ – 7/9/2025) – The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today urged the State Board of Education to sever its relationship with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) after the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers’ union, voted to cut ties with ADL over its racist approach to justice movements involving Palestinian human rights advocacy, Black Lives Matter and the South African apartheid.
READ: Teachers’ union NEA members endorse cutting ties with ADL – Axios
NEA’s 7,000-member Representative Assembly voted to adopt a proposal to sever relations with the ADL earlier this week during its annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, pointing to the ADL’s history of anti-Palestinian extremism and discouraging anti-racist organizing efforts, including attacking the South Africa anti-apartheid movement and the Black Lives Matter movements.
The members also cited the ADL’s misrepresentation of antisemitism to silence advocacy for Palestinian human rights.
“NEA will not use, endorse, or publicize any materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), such as its curricular materials or its statistics,” according to the proposal text. “NEA will not participate in ADL programs or publicize ADL professional development offerings.”
In a statement, Advocacy and Community Relations Associate Mousa Naji said:
“We welcome this week’s overdue decision from the National Education Association (NEA) to sever ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization notorious for its harmful rhetoric attacking advocacy efforts for Palestinian human rights, the South Africa anti-apartheid movement and the Black Lives Matter movements.
“We hope this historical move by the NEA serves as a significant step toward tangible changes in public schools across the nation, especially considering the current global and domestic affairs that have led to Orwellian backlash against advocates for justice.
“CAIR-New Jersey urges the New Jersey State Board of Education to take similar action by reviewing and ending any formal or informal partnerships with the ADL and removing ADL-produced materials from New Jersey’s public education system.”
On Wednesday, CAIR-New Jersey sent two separate letters to the New Jersey State Board of Education and the New Jersey Education Association, urging them to follow suit.
SEE LETTER TO NEW JERSEY STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
SEE LETTER TO NEW JERSEY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
The letters, in part, state that ADL has equated peaceful student protesters with terrorist groups including ISIS and al-Qaeda, platformed notorious anti-Muslim hate figures, downplayed hate crimes against Palestinian Americans, pressured universities and institutions to censor speech around Palestinian freedom.
“These actions run counter to the values our state’s education system professes—equity, anti-racism, truth and inclusion. Continued reliance on or endorsement of the ADL in any educational capacity sends a harmful message to Black, Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and educators: Their identities and struggles are not recognized or respected,” theletters continue.
Last month, CAIR condemned an “unhinged, racist rant” by ADL national director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, who was reportedly caught on tape denigrating the Black Lives Matter movement and equating pro-Palestinian student protesters to ISIS and Al-Qaeda during a speech to Republican attorneys general.
The ADL has also platformed anti-Muslim hate speakers like Pastor John Hagee, shared the same stage as anti-Palestinian racists, dehumanized Palestinians by justifying the Israeli government’s attacks on civilians in Gaza, questioned the Palestinian death toll, pressured colleges and other institutions to silence students who peacefully advocate for Palestinian freedom, and downplayed hate crimes against Palestinian-Americans.
Last year, CAIR joined 60 American Muslim, Palestinian, Arab and allied organizations in strongly condemn Greenblatt for hateful, dangerous attacks he has launched on the Palestinian-American community and supporters of Palestinians human rights during recent appearances on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, as well as the ADL’s pattern of targeting diverse communities.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Communications Manager Aya Elamroussi, aelamroussi@cair.com, 551-208-5482
