Oregon Educators for Palestine: Advocacy, Activism, and Controversy in Education
Oregon Educators for Palestine (OEP) has emerged as a significant force in advocating for Palestinian rights and incorporating pro-Palestinian perspectives into educational curricula. The organization's activities, resources, and collaborations have sparked both support and controversy, highlighting the complexities of addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in schools. This article explores the organization's mission, activities, the controversies it has faced, and its impact on the educational landscape.
Origins and Mission
Oregon Educators for Palestine was founded following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks against Israel. The organization's primary goal is to provide resources and support for educators who wish to incorporate pro-Palestinian lessons into their classrooms. OEP aims to counter what it perceives as a biased or incomplete representation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in educational settings.
Key Activities and Initiatives
Resource Creation and Distribution
OEP develops and disseminates a variety of educational materials designed to promote a pro-Palestinian perspective. These resources include:
- "Know Your Rights! Teaching & Organizing for Palestine Within Portland Public Schools": A guide published in May 2024 in collaboration with the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT). This handbook asserts that Portland Public Schools has censored and harassed teachers and students who advocated for Palestine on school grounds. The guide claims to have been written in response to “censorship, discrimination, and harassment that many [Portland Public Schools] education workers have experienced and are currently experiencing at the hands of PPS District ‘Leadership,’” referring to attempts by teachers to incorporate lessons on Palestine through a “pro-Palestine” perspective. Its defense of “pro-Palestine messaging” by teachers includes “political posters” and assignments on Zionism and “Settler Colonialism,” clothing with the controversial message “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free,” and other Palestinian nationalist messaging.
- "Teach Palestine! Resources for Educators in Public Schools": A collection of pro-Palestinian lessons for teachers from preschool through 12th grade. These lessons cover topics such as Palestinian history, culture, current events, and the concept of "joy" in the disputed territories.
- Curriculum to Teach Palestine by grade level and subject: The post also told attendees they would leave with “curriculum to Teach Palestine by grade level and subject,” which the group linked to, among other pro-Palestinian educational materials.
- Visualizing Palestine: The 24-page guide provides information on how to incorporate pro-Palestinian messaging and lessons, including references to materials published by Visualizing Palestine.
Teacher Training and Workshops
OEP conducts training sessions and workshops to equip educators with the knowledge and tools to teach about Palestine from a pro-Palestinian perspective. In partnership with Rethinking Schools, OEP has hosted "Teach-In" training sessions that provide information for teachers on how to incorporate pro-Palestinian lessons and messaging in classes for students of all ages. These events often feature educator-led breakout sessions that model lessons teachers can apply in K-12 classrooms, exploring topics such as media literacy, settler colonialism, genocide, academic repression, youth resistance, and creative expression under occupation.
Advocacy and Activism
OEP actively advocates for the inclusion of Palestinian perspectives in school curricula and policies. OEP also organizes and participates in protests and demonstrations to raise awareness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to demand action from school districts and government officials. In March 2024, Oregon Educators for Palestine, alongside Mothers* For a Ceasefire in Gaza, the Democratic Socialists of America Portland chapter, and the Jewish Voice for Peace Portland chapter organized a student walkout across Portland Public Schools. The protest advocated for increased attention of the Israel-Hamas war by the Portland Public Schools. It included students who defended Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and accused Israel of committing war crimes and perpetuating the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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Collaboration with Other Organizations
OEP collaborates with various organizations, including the Portland Association of Teachers, Rethinking Schools, Jewish Voice for Peace, and other activist groups, to amplify its message and expand its reach. OEP co-authored the "Teach Palestine" guide with Oregon Educators for Palestine, which urges educators to present a singular, anti-Israel perspective in classrooms.
Controversies and Criticisms
OEP's activities have drawn significant criticism from some members of the Jewish community and other groups who view the organization's approach as biased and anti-Semitic.
Allegations of Bias and Anti-Semitism
Critics argue that OEP's materials and teachings present a one-sided narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, demonizing Israel and ignoring the complexities of the situation. The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland has previously argued the union promotes a “one-sided narrative on Gaza.” They reiterated their stance in a recent newsletter, which talked about their issues with the guide, the supplemental materials for students, and the “know your rights” information sessions held at the end of May by PAT and the Oregon Educators for Palestine. Some have also accused OEP of promoting anti-Semitic tropes and of creating a hostile environment for Jewish students and teachers. Bob Horenstein, director of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Portland, says the union’s actions follow a recent dispute at Grant High School, in which the teacher of a freshman history course used PAT materials in the classroom, and students then posted anti-Zionist posters on a bulletin board. On three occasions, Horenstein says, the district ordered posters and protest signs removed from Grant property. Horenstein says that the handbook that PAT is now distributing reads less like educational material and more like political agitprop. “This is propaganda,” Horenstein says. “If this were used in the classroom, it could potentially make a Jewish student feel unsafe.”
Concerns about Indoctrination
Some critics express concern that OEP's materials are designed to indoctrinate students with a particular political viewpoint, rather than to encourage critical thinking and open discussion. The guide also makes claims that teaching about the Israel-Palestinian conflict as a genocide against Palestinian people is consistent with Oregon laws that require social studies to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides.
Accusations of Censorship and Harassment
OEP and its supporters claim that educators who attempt to teach about Palestine from a pro-Palestinian perspective face censorship, discrimination, and harassment from school administrators and community members. The guide lists several examples, such as “censoring student attempts at holding a presentation to teach about Palestine at their school which has held many similar events for other social justice movements.”
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Impact on Education
Despite the controversies, OEP has had a significant impact on the educational landscape in Oregon, particularly in Portland Public Schools.
Increased Awareness of Palestinian Issues
OEP's activities have raised awareness of Palestinian issues among students, teachers, and community members. The organization's resources and advocacy efforts have prompted discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the importance of including diverse perspectives in the curriculum.
Policy Changes and Curriculum Development
OEP's advocacy has led to some policy changes and curriculum development in Portland Public Schools. For example, the district has implemented new guidelines for teaching about controversial issues, and some schools have incorporated Palestinian history and culture into their social studies curriculum.
Empowerment of Students and Educators
OEP has empowered students and educators to speak out about Palestinian rights and to challenge what they perceive as biased or incomplete representations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Students walked out of school and protested at the Portland Public Schools, or PPS, district office on March 15. They were taking action to demand education about Palestine, and that PPS cut ties with companies complicit in the Israeli occupation and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
Legal Challenges
The Freedom Foundation filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Jewish public-school teacher in Oregon against both the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) and Portland Public Schools (PPS). The suit alleges that both PAT and PPS have created and sustained a hostile work environment for Jewish educators, and that the district actively ignored the plaintiff’s concerns.
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The Debate Over Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism
Oregon Educators for Palestine “Know Your Rights!” guide advocates for teachers to promote anti-Zionism and cites L. J. Jaffee’s “Anti-Zionism is not Antisemitism: The Centrality of Palestinian Liberation in the Struggle for Anti-Oppressive Education” to argue that it is not antisemitic to be anti-Zionist. It argues that it is necessary for a pro-Palestinian lesson to hold the position of being anti-Zionist and advocates for members of schools to resist policies that would restrict discussing opposition to Zionism.
ADL's Role
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has been criticized for conflating anti-Semitism with criticism of Zionism. In July, the membership of the National Education Association voted at its convention for a motion barring the NEA from publicizing, using, or endorsing any of the ADL’s materials. The vote was a victory for the union’s Arab American Caucus and Educators for Palestine, which introduced similar motions for years. A few days later, the NEA board officially announced it would not adopt the motion.
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