In a recent development that has sparked controversy, teachers across California's Oakland Unified School District participated in a "teach-in" on Wednesday, focusing on the Palestinian cause.
The event, dubbed the "Gaza to Oakland Teach-in," has been criticized for its use of anti-Israel and antisemitic materials.
The event was promoted in a video released in late November by the organizers. In the video, one speaker stated, "Those with an interest in bombing a civilian population are terrified of people coming to their own conclusions," a comment aimed at Israel's response to the October 7th attack by Hamas terrorists.
Despite the organizers' claim of providing a balanced perspective on the ongoing conflict, critics argue that the event failed to address crucial issues such as Hamas' use of rape as a weapon of war or their kidnapping and murder of civilians.
The Oakland Education Association, the union representing teachers in the Oakland Unified School District, voted overwhelmingly in favor of the event, despite the district's assertion that the lessons were not officially sanctioned. The curriculum, which is available online, caters to children aged 4-18.
Among the materials used was an image featuring a Jewish man depicted as an octopus, a disturbing echo of antisemitic Nazi propaganda. The book P is for Palestine, which includes the phrase I is for Intifada, was suggested for kindergarten teachers, potentially promoting a form of uprising that includes the murder of civilians.
According to Mercury News, the teach-in commenced with a video call streamed across classrooms in the district. One speaker recounted her grandmother's experience in 1948 when she, along with 75% of the country's population, was forced from her home following the British partition of Palestine between Arabs and Jews. Another speaker, identifying as Jewish, rejected "Zionism's attempt to say the only place and way Jewish people can be safe is through a militarized state."
Following the initial 45-minute session, educators began their own instruction, utilizing resources compiled over the preceding days. These included a coloring book titled Handala's Return, which narrated a cartoon character's expulsion from Palestine in 1948, and worksheets on settler colonialism occupation and its impact on the Gaza Strip.
KTVU reported that critics of the event have pointed out that the material does not mention the October 7 Hamas attack, fails to explain that the state of Israel was born out of the Holocaust, and portrays a Zionist as a bloodthirsty land grabber who desires a state exclusively for Jews.
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