Josh Shapiro urges Philly schools to ‘take very seriously’ antisemitism as Congress opens investigation

EXCLUSIVE: A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that the School District of Philadelphia needs to code the mushrooming dispersed of antisemitism successful classrooms.

The alleged anti-Jewish clime successful the nation’s eighth-largest schoolhouse territory successful the city, nicknamed the City of Brotherly Love, has precocious sparked a legislature probe into its acquisition strategy that is reportedly infected with hatred of Jews and Israel.

Shapiro’s spokesperson, Rosie Lapowsky, told Fox News Digital that, "Governor Shapiro takes a backmost spot to nary 1 connected these issues, and arsenic helium has repeatedly spoken retired about, antisemitism and this benignant of hateful rhetoric is unacceptable and has nary spot successful Pennsylvania — particularly not successful our classrooms. This is simply a substance the Governor has made wide the territory needs to instrumentality precise seriously."

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Anti-Israel protesters march against the warfare successful Gaza successful Philadelphia, Pa., April 25, 2024. (Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital conducted interviews with parents and teachers from the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) and presented the findings, on with a November House Committee connected Education and the Workforce probe announcement into antisemitism successful Philadelphia nationalist schools to the governor’s office.

The House Committee connected Education and the Workforce is probing "whether determination was oregon is simply a hostile situation against Jewish K-12 students," according to its missive obtained by Fox News Digital.

The legislature missive stated, "The Committee is profoundly acrophobic that SDP is failing to uphold its obligations nether Title VI. Since October 7, 2023, the Committee has received allegations that SDP is rife with antisemitic incidents, including allegations of teachers spreading antisemitism successful the schoolroom and SDP approving antisemitic walkouts that isolate Jewish students."

The missive continued that "Because of these alleged failures, SDP entered into a federally mandated corrective enactment program with the U.S. Department of Education successful December 2024: however, according to property and whistleblower reports, antisemitic incidents person continued to proliferate since the plan."

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Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks astatine the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony during Wawa Welcome America connected July 04, 2023 successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

Fox News Digital obtained messages and a papers from a backstage Signal telephone messaging radical for Philadelphia Educators for Palestine. The radical formulated a "Grounding Commitments" papers that defends each Palestinian "resistance." Critics accidental overmuch of Palestinian absorption includes unit and besides terrorism.

According to the Philadelphia Educators for Palestine, "All absorption is righteous. We cull immoderate mendacious equivalence betwixt the convulsive systems that oppress america and our responses to them."

Signal substance messages stated the anti-Israel radical has recruited schoolhouse children to beforehand their anti-Jewish authorities agenda. According to territory policy, educators should not beryllium communicating with students connected societal media platforms. "In bid to support a nonrecreational and due narration with students, District employees should not pass with students who are presently enrolled successful District schools connected idiosyncratic social media sites," states SDP policy.

Fox News Digital reached retired to Philadelphia Educators for Palestine for a comment.

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Mika Hackner, manager of probe astatine the North American Values Institute, told Fox News Digital, "This is simply a shocking illustration of nationalist schoolhouse teachers knowingly misusing their position, and going against their ain district's policies, to promote governmental activism successful their students. Inviting precocious schoolers into a backstage Signal chat and involving them successful discussions and events which beforehand political violence is conscionable beyond the pale. The School District of Philadelphia indispensable instrumentality due action."

Multiple Jewish parents and teachers spoke to Fox News Digital connected the information of anonymity retired of fearfulness of retribution from anti-Israel teachers and the School District of Philadelphia.

One Jewish genitor said, "There are teachers and administrators who are perpetuating Jew-hate," adding that "[Ismael] Jimenez uses his nationalist societal media to make Jew-hate." Ismael Jimenez is the manager of societal studies program for the SDP.

Sunrise airy hits the U.S. Capitol dome connected Thursday, January 2, 2025, arsenic the 119th Congress is acceptable to statesman Friday. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The legislature missive besides references Jimenez arsenic an SPD elder head who "has been wide condemned by Jewish advocacy groups successful airy of his ‘pattern of denying the Jewish transportation to the Land of Israel, refusing to talk astir bid oregon coexistence, and downplaying the lived experiences of Jewish radical successful the look of violence. In a caller example, aft the execution of 2 Israeli embassy workers and the antisemitic firebombing onslaught successful Colorado, the elder head wrote, ‘The groups who align themselves with American savageness should not beryllium amazed erstwhile the savageness is turned connected you."

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According to the legislature letter, "Today, SDP employs galore educators who allegedly beforehand antisemitic contented successful their classrooms. One specified teacher has allegedly threatened Jewish parents and students online. She and different Philadelphia educators besides allegedly usage lessons from an effort called Teaching Palestine, whose people materials rationalize violent unit and advocator for the demolition of Israel."

The legislature missive highlights the actions of the teachers and the administrator. One who was allegedly "Threatening Jewish parents and students" was identified arsenic Kaziah Ridgeway. Other teachers allegedly utilized lessons from "Teaching Palestine," according to societal media posts and the letter. 

A Philadelphia schoolhouse teacher told Fox News Digital that the prevailing concern successful SDP is "being complacent and encouraging pro-Palestinian bias successful the district. There is nary medicine to antagonistic antisemitism successful school."

Shelly Robinson, a Philadelphia schoolhouse teacher who retired successful 2021 and taught astatine Northeast High School, the largest precocious schoolhouse successful Pennsylvania, told Fox News Digital, that astatine 1 astatine multicultural fair, "there was a map connected signifier astatine schoolhouse and determination was nary Israel." Robinson, who graduated from Northeast and has heavy contacts to the school, said a "Muslim pupil radical started selling buttons stating ‘From the River to the Sea’ aft Oct. 7. Things got truly atrocious for Jewish teachers astatine Northeast aft Oct. 7."

The Anti Defamation League described the saying arsenic "an antisemitic slogan commonly featured successful anti-Israel campaigns and chanted astatine demonstrations."

Memorials astatine the tract of the Oct. 7 Hamas panic onslaught connected the Supernova euphony festival adjacent Kibbutz Re'im, Israel, connected Monday, May 27, 2024.  (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The U.S.-designated violent enactment Hamas invaded Israel connected October 7, 2023, and slaughtered implicit 1,200 people, including much than 40 Americans.

Robinson recalled a nonrecreational improvement trainer who told a pupil radical called "No Place for Hate" that they "should halt promoting achromatic heroes named Shakespeare and Einstein, and said we should beforehand refugees."

When Robinson noted that the German physicist Albert Einstein was a exile who fled Nazi Germany, the improvement specializer for teachers said, "But helium was a Jew." Robinson said, "I started to spot what was going connected successful the schoolhouse territory and had been going connected for 20 years."

Jimenez and Ridgeway, who are besides reportedly members of Philadelphia Educators for Palestine, declined to respond to Fox News Digital property queries.

While Shapiro readily called retired the situation, different leaders successful the authorities preferred to walk the buck.

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Leah Uko, a spokesperson for Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, told Fox News Digital that "This is simply a substance with the School District of Philadelphia, not City government. We person nary comment."

A spokesperson for Dr. Tony Watlington, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, told Fox News Digital that "It is the argumentation of the School District of Philadelphia to refrain from commenting connected active investigations."