Brooklyn High School’s Palestinian Flag Display Evokes Fury: Jewish Teachers Say Symbol Feels Like Politics, Not Diversity

According to a report that appeared on Saturday in The New York Post, the banner’s presence was first raised by members of the United Jewish Teachers organization, who expressed concern that the school had allowed the symbol to remain in place throughout the summer and into the current academic year. The issue has grown into a broader debate over what constitutes cultural representation versus political advocacy within New York City’s public schools.

The controversy came to a head this week when Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, sent an email to Principal Thomas Mullen of Leaders High School. In his message, obtained by The New York Post, Spern said that “members of the Lafayette school community” — referring to the Lafayette Educational Complex where Leaders shares space — had been complaining about the flag since the end of the last school year.

“At this point, the fact that it still remains hanging seems more like a political statement,” Spern wrote, noting that concerns raised months ago had been ignored. According to The New York Post, Spern never received a reply from Principal Mullen.

In follow-up comments, Spern explained why the flag’s display was deeply unsettling for many Jewish faculty and students. “Although flags were sporadically displayed around the school building, the singular placement of this (Palestinian) flag was perceived as intimidating by Jewish teachers and students,” he said.

The Department of Education (DOE), when pressed by The New York Post about the complaints, defended the school’s decision to keep the Palestinian flag on display. Spokeswoman Nicole Brownstein insisted that the banner was not a political statement but part of a broader initiative to recognize the diverse nationalities represented at Leaders High School.

“This is one of twenty flags on display, each representing a student’s nationality. Every student and staff member who wishes to have their nationality represented as part of this collection of flags will have their request honored,” Brownstein said.

She even provided photographs of seven other foreign flags that hang in the building. However, when asked whether the collection of twenty flags included Israel’s national flag, Brownstein declined to answer — an omission that only intensified suspicions among critics that the Palestinian flag had been given disproportionate prominence.

At the heart of the dispute lies a question of perception. Supporters of the display argue that hanging a Palestinian flag is no different from showcasing flags of other nations represented in the student body. To them, it is an act of inclusivity and cultural acknowledgment.

But as The New York Post report noted, Jewish educators see the matter differently. With the Palestinian flag hanging alone in a high-traffic hallway for months, they argue, its prominence crosses the line from multicultural representation into political messaging.

The context matters. New York City schools, particularly in Brooklyn, have seen heated debates over the Israel-Palestinian conflict spill into classrooms and extracurricular activities. In this environment, Jewish parents and teachers fear that the flag’s presence could embolden anti-Israel sentiment and make Jewish students feel marginalized.

One of the most striking details, according to the information provided in The New York Post report, is the silence of school administrators in response to repeated concerns. Spern’s email to Principal Mullen went unanswered, leaving Jewish educators to feel that their complaints were being dismissed.

The DOE’s assertion that it had received “no complaints from students, parents or staff” at the school further inflamed tensions. Jewish teachers and activists pointed out that Spern’s correspondence explicitly stated that members of the Lafayette school community had raised objections. For critics, the DOE’s claim was less a reflection of reality than an effort to downplay a sensitive controversy.

The Palestinian flag has long carried symbolic weight far beyond its representation of nationality. In Western contexts, including in U.S. schools, it often doubles as a political symbol, associated with movements critical of Israel or outright hostile to its existence.

As The New York Post has reported in related controversies, schools across the city have wrestled with how to handle expressions of political identity in educational spaces that are supposed to remain neutral. In this case, Jewish activists argue that leaving the Palestinian flag on display for months, while avoiding clarity on whether the Israeli flag is included, amounts to tacit endorsement of a political stance in a taxpayer-funded school.

The DOE has consistently framed its stance in terms of inclusivity, stressing that any student who requests their nationality be represented may see their flag displayed. Yet this seemingly neutral policy has proven difficult to manage. When the symbolism of one flag triggers feelings of intimidation in another community, neutrality is far harder to maintain.

As The New York Post report highlighted, the DOE’s inability — or unwillingness — to confirm whether Israel’s flag is displayed alongside the Palestinian flag undermines its argument that the policy is evenly applied. For Jewish educators and families, the lack of transparency raises suspicions that the school is privileging one narrative over another.

The controversy at Leaders High School is not occurring in isolation. It echoes broader tensions in New York, where debates about Israel, Palestine, and antisemitism frequently intersect with education policy.

Brooklyn, home to one of the largest Jewish populations outside Israel, has also seen significant Palestinian and Arab-American communities grow in influence. The symbolic battles over flags and student expression are a microcosm of these demographic and political dynamics.

According to the information contained in The New York Post report, Jewish activists fear that the DOE’s position sets a troubling precedent. By treating the Palestinian flag as merely another nationality, without recognizing its charged political meaning in this context, the department risks alienating Jewish students and faculty who already feel besieged by rising antisemitism.

Activists are now demanding clearer policies from the DOE regarding what kinds of symbols are appropriate in school settings. They argue that while multicultural representation is valuable, educational spaces must not become platforms for divisive political expression.

For Spern and others in United Jewish Teachers, the issue is not about denying Palestinian students representation, but about balance, sensitivity, and context. If the DOE truly wants inclusivity, they argue, then Israeli flags and Jewish symbols should be equally visible — or else politically charged flags should be removed altogether.

As Spern put it in his email to the principal, quoted by The New York Post: “At this point, the fact that it still remains hanging seems more like a political statement.”

The Palestinian flag at Leaders High School has become more than a piece of fabric in a hallway. It is now a flashpoint in the ongoing struggle over identity, inclusion, and neutrality in New York’s public schools. For Jewish educators and activists, its presence is not merely cultural but intimidating — a reminder that symbols carry weight and that ignoring complaints only deepens divides.

As The New York Post has documented, the DOE continues to defend the display, framing it as part of a broader celebration of student diversity. But until the department addresses the specific concerns raised by Jewish teachers — including whether Israel’s flag is represented equally — the controversy is unlikely to fade.

In the end, the question remains whether public schools can truly balance representation with neutrality, or whether every flag hung in a hallway will be seen as something more: a political statement in a city where politics, identity, and education are inseparable.