NYCDOE Taps Group Led by Former “Intifada High” Principal to Conduct Workshops on Israel-Hamas War

NYCDOE Taps Group Led by Former “Intifada High” Principal to Conduct Workshops on Israel-Hamas War

Edited by: Fern Sidman 

The New York City Department of Education has ignited controversy by enlisting a group led by former “Intifada High” principal Debbie Almontaser to conduct school-staff workshops on addressing the Israel-Hamas conflict in classrooms, according to a report that appeared on Saturday in The New York Post.   This decision has left many teachers outraged, alleging that the training sessions presented a biased perspective against Israel.

On June 6, Almontaser’s consulting firm, Bridging Cultures Group, led professional development training sessions at at least ten public schools across the city. As was reported by The Post, these workshops were part of a broader initiative titled “Facilitating Courageous Conversations,” aimed at helping educators guide students in discussions about the ongoing conflict.

The sessions featured facilitators from both Jewish and Muslim backgrounds, who discussed lesson plans and strategies for handling sensitive topics related to the Israel-Hamas war. However, The Post report indicated that several Jewish teachers expressed significant dissatisfaction with the content, claiming it was heavily slanted against Israel.

One notable critic, Sharon Malkin, an art teacher at Horace Greeley IS 10Q in Astoria, Queens, pointed out that the training materials were particularly one-sided. According to Malkin, one slide in the presentation described the October 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent eight-month bombardment of Gaza as “emotionally traumatizing,” the report in The Post said. However, the slide reportedly failed to mention the 251 hostages taken by Hamas or the missile strikes on Israel from Iran and other terror groups.

Malkin also highlighted another workshop led by a Jewish lecturer who had previously posted photos on Facebook featuring a Palestinian flag sticker. During this session, the lecturer reportedly downplayed the October 7 attack’s impact on Jews by comparing the 1,200 Jewish deaths to over 37,000 Palestinian deaths over the past eight months, according to the information provided in The Post report. This comparison, Malkin argued, was presented in a way that lacked context and failed to provide a balanced perspective.

“Where do you think people are going to fall on that, especially people that don’t have any facts?” Malkin remarked, The Post reported. The presentation’s bias prompted her school’s principal to apologize and cancel additional workshops planned with Bridging Cultures Group.

Debbie Almontaser, the head of Bridging Cultures Group, is a controversial figure in education. She previously served as the principal of Khalil Gibran International Academy, a public school in Brooklyn that critics dubbed “Intifada High” due to pro-Hamas biases, as was explained in The Post report. Her tenure was marked by significant controversy, ultimately leading to her resignation amid accusations of failing to condemn the term “intifada” and other contentious issues.

Despite this past, Almontaser’s consulting firm has secured lucrative contracts with the city, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. The report added that this financial success, coupled with her involvement in these workshops, has only fueled further criticism from those who view her as an unsuitable figure to lead such sensitive discussions.

The backlash against these workshops has led to a reevaluation of the Department of Education’s approach to professional development in this area, The Post report noted. Moving forward, there may be increased scrutiny and calls for greater transparency and balance in the materials and facilitators chosen for such sensitive topics.

In a 2007 interview with The Post, Almontaser condoned T-shirts made by an Arab women’s activist group that read “Intifada NYC.” The term “intifada” has historically been associated with violent uprisings against Israel, including terrorist attacks by Palestinians during the late 1980s and early 2000s. The Post reported that although Almontaser claimed that the phrase was not intended to incite violence in New York City, her comments sparked widespread outrage and media coverage. This controversy ultimately led to her resignation as the head of the newly formed Khalil Gibran International Academy.

Given this history, many Jewish teachers are perplexed and angered by the DOE’s decision to involve Almontaser in designing and leading workshops on such a sensitive topic. “Should that person be the one designing a curriculum to teach about anti-Semitism? I would argue hell no,” one Jewish public school teacher remarked, according to the information contained in The Post report.

Almontaser is also currently the board president of the Muslim Community Network (MCN), an organization that has been active in backing anti-Israel protests. The report in The Post said that during the peak of anti-Israel college protests this year, MCN offered “safety-training” seminars for demonstrators and provided advice on social media on how to avoid police searches and resist interrogation tactics.

Almontaser has publicly expressed support for anti-Israel protests and has called for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza on her social media accounts.

Since fiscal year 2021, Bridging Cultures Group has received at least $235,000 in taxpayer-funded contracts and purchases from the DOE, according to city records. The organization lists several workshops on its website, including “Building Compassionate Learning Communities Through Culturally Responsive Education,” each priced at $2,000, as was reported by The Post. The group’s involvement in DOE’s initiatives extends beyond these workshops; it was also one of several organizations consulted for the department’s “meeting the moment” plan, aimed at combating anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in city schools.

The financial commitment and strategic involvement of Bridging Cultures Group in the DOE’s efforts to address sensitive issues have only heightened the controversy. Critics argue that the DOE’s reliance on an organization led by such a contentious figure undermines the credibility and effectiveness of its initiatives.

Despite the backlash, DOE spokesman Nathaniel Styer defended the decision, emphasizing the importance of presenting a balanced representation of viewpoints. “To do this work, we have engaged a variety of high-quality, respected partners to present a balanced representation of viewpoints across our NYCPS community, with the ultimate goal of building understanding and empathy,” Styer said, according to The Post report.

Almontaser also appears to have close ties with Schools Chancellor David Banks, further complicating the issue. The report in the Post noted that her influence and connections within the DOE have raised concerns about the impartiality of the department’s decisions and the selection of partners for such sensitive educational initiatives.