Sara Dogan

(Front Page Magazine) Public school teachers belonging to “Philadelphia Educators for Palestine” were caught violating school district policy by allowing students to join a Signal chat that celebrated anti-Israel terrorism, promoted Marxism, and advertised a “Rally for Rage and Resistance” on the two-year anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

The Philadelphia Educators for Palestine is a subgroup of the Racial Justice Organizing Committee (RJOC) which openly supported Hamas’s October 7 massacre, rape, and kidnapping of over 1200 innocent Israeli Jews. The group posted a meme on social media featuring exuberantly celebrating Palestinians with the caption “October 7, 2023: The Day Gaza Broke Out of Prison.”

As the two-year anniversary of October 7 approached this fall, Philadelphia Educators for Palestine conducted a private chat using the messaging app Signal to discuss a list of the group’s “Grounding Commitments” and to plan an anti-Israel demonstration to mark the anniversary of the massacre.

The radical pro-Hamas group is run by School District of Philadelphia teachers Hannah Gann and Keziah Ridgeway, who both served as administrators for the online Signal chat.

Ridgeway, a Black Muslim educator at Northeast High School, is notorious for her Jew hatred. Last spring, she was temporarily placed on administrative leave after she was accused of threatening Jewish parents who objected to her persistent intrusion of antisemitic and anti-Israel propaganda into the classroom. Ridgeway publicized the names of local Jewish leaders and implied that gun owners should target them. She is now, unfortunately, back in the classroom, and is suing the Philadelphia school district alleging discrimination.

Gann is known for her equally radical and pro-Hamas views. She has repeatedly endorsed a statement issued by the Racial Justice Organizing Committee on October 8, 2023, which blamed Israel for the barbaric violence committed against its citizens by Hamas, characterizing it as “a result of colonization and current settler colonialist practices.”

In direct violation of School District of Philadelphia (SDP) policy which prohibits teachers from communicating with students on social media, group administrators Ridgeway and Gann knowingly invited high school students to participate in the Signal chat for the radical, pro-Hamas group.

“hey all! I’m [name retracted], a rising senior in high school. happy to be here!!” one young person with the pronouns “she/her” posted. She was warmly welcomed into the group, as were others who introduced themselves as students.

“Welcome [name retracted]! I’m your dad’s friend, Matt! Thank you for all your work and dedication,” responded another chatter who was using the name ‘Abolish Slavery.’ “It’s incredibly encouraging for me as a teacher to see a student involved.”

Astoundingly, when one participant in the chat, an individual identifying himself as Jose Garcia, expressed his discomfort with the presence of high school students in the educator chat group, he was unceremoniously booted from the discussion by Ridgeway.

“It’s always been my policy to keep students out of teachers organizing groups,” posted the sensible Garcia. “Especially this one where we discuss sensitive topics sometimes.”

Group administrator Keziah Ridgeway responded with rancor. “With all due respect, if you’re a teacher uncomfortable with students being in this chat, I understand your concern but this may not be the organizing space for you.”

Ridgeway noted that the student in question had been with the group “almost since its inception” adding “We’ve led two very successful marches during the 2020 uprisings with the help of students and parents and I want them in this space.”

Hannah Gann chimed in to agree with Ridgeway that “engaging with young people is a core part of who we are…as organizers,” noting that students had even led some breakout sessions at a recent teach-in.

Chat participant Jose Garcia then responded by posting the relevant Philadelphia school district policy into the chat discussion. The policy states, “In order to maintain a professional and appropriate relationship with students, District employees should not communicate with students who are currently enrolled in District schools on personal social media sites.” For this apparently unforgiveable infraction, Ridgeway promptly booted Garcia from the chat, and let the other participants know that they were free to leave if they agreed with him.

For Ridgeway, Gann, and their colleagues, allowing students to take part in their discussions—and radicalizing them to hate Israel and ‘honor the martyrs’—is a feature, not a bug of their pro-Hamas activism.

The “Grounding Commitments” agreed upon by the group members during the Signal chat included pro-terror and Marxist slogans including “All resistance is righteous. We reject any false equivalences between the violent systems that oppress us and our responses to them” and “We support efforts for the radical redistribution of resources, including land back, right of return and reparations.”

A social media post advertising the upcoming “Rally for Rage and Resistance” on the two year anniversary of October 7 was also shared with the group. The graphic for the post featured keffiyeh-wearing fighters, with one appearing to hold a rifle, and another bearing a Palestinian flag. The caption underneath unambiguously celebrates Hamas terrorism: “Reject Normalization! Honor the Martyrs! Uplift Resistance!”

At least one student who was included in the Signal chat was later observed attending this pro-Hamas lovefest, demonstrating the fulfillment of the educators’ aims of radicalizing their students.

Fox News Digital reported on the illicit Signal chat involving students, but a spokesman for the School District of Philadelphia declined to comment, citing an active investigation.

“This is a shocking example of public school teachers knowingly misusing their position, and going against their own district’s policies, to encourage political activism in their students,” commented Mika Hackner, the director of research at the North American Values Institute. “Inviting high schoolers into a private Signal chat and involving them in discussions and events which promote political violence is just beyond the pale. The School District of Philadelphia must take appropriate action.”

While Philadelphia district administrators appear reluctant to act on a clear violation of policy, the antisemitism promoted by district teachers and officials is now on the federal government’s radar. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce is currently investigating the School District of Philadelphia to determine “whether there was or is a hostile environment against Jewish K-12 students.”

“The Committee is deeply concerned that SDP is failing to uphold its obligations under Title VI,” states a congressional letter from the Committee. “Since October 7, 2023, the Committee has received allegations that SDP is rife with antisemitic incidents, including allegations of teachers spreading antisemitism in the classroom and SDP approving antisemitic walkouts that isolate Jewish students.”

The Jew hatred spread by our nation’s largest urban school districts is a blight on America’s future. It is long past time for Congress and the Trump Administration to let radical educators know that their abuse will no longer be tolerated.