By: Jordan Baker

A group of far-left New York City educators is planning a controversial “Teach-In for Palestine” on Martin Luther King Jr. Day — targeting students as young as six — a move that critics say crosses a dangerous line between education and political indoctrination, as the New York Post reported.

The event, organized by NYC Educators for Palestine, is the first in what the group says will be a six-part series. According to promotional materials reviewed by the New York Post, the teach-in is marketed to children and teenagers ages 6 to 18 and promises free food along with “age-conscious lessons” led by educators and mental health professionals.

The decision to hold the event on Jan. 19, a day honoring Dr. King, has sparked outrage among Jewish leaders and education advocates. As the New York Post noted, King was an outspoken supporter of Israel, once calling the Jewish state “one of the great outposts of democracy in the world.”

Online sign-up materials for the event say instructors will guide students as they “grapple with the history, meaning and context of zionism,” deliberately written in lowercase, according to the New York Post. Critics argue the framing signals a one-sided ideological agenda rather than a balanced educational discussion.

The group has not disclosed the location of the teach-in. However, sources told the New York Post that similar events in the past have been hosted at venues such as The People’s Forum or the Brooklyn Museum.

Opponents say the event is part of a broader pattern of political radicalization in city schools. “These teach-ins are just an attempt to indoctrinate young people into Jew hate,” NYC Public School Alliance President Karen Feldman told the New York Post. She accused organizers of luring students with free food before exposing them to inflammatory materials and messaging sympathetic to extremist groups.

United Jewish Teachers President Moshe Spern echoed those concerns, warning that such programming risks fostering hostility toward Jewish students. “There are educators in New York City promoting curriculum that is antisemitic,” Spern told the New York Post. “How can anyone feel safe when children as young as six are being indoctrinated?”

The controversy also carries political overtones. As the New York Post reported, Mayor Zohran Mamdani — a vocal critic of Israel — previously promoted a protest organized by NYC Educators for Palestine on his personal Instagram account in December 2023. The group has also organized school walkouts and demonstrations against Israel, including a rally in May that drew hundreds of students outside Department of Education headquarters.

NYC Educators for Palestine’s mission statement calls for students to be shielded from what it describes as support for the “continued occupation of Palestine,” language the New York Post reported has alarmed Jewish groups.