The proposal, which passed at the NEA's 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Oregon, would prohibit the nation's largest teachers' union from using ADL materials on antisemitism and Holocaust education or promoting ADL statistics and programs.
Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers are pushing to strip the nation’s largest teachers’ union of its federal charter. As the controversy unfolds, Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, has emerged as a vocal defender of the NEA amid what she characterizes as broader attacks on the union.
"The NEA, as the nation's largest labor union committed to public education and seeing children succeed in classrooms, is one of the most powerful voices for public education," Wiley said. "Some in Congress want to destroy them because they don't like what the NEA says and does."
Under the member-backed measure, the NEA would no longer:
- Use, endorse, or publicize ADL materials, including curricular resources and statistics
- Participate in ADL programs or promote their professional development offerings
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from Jewish organizations, who argue it would effectively boycott what they call "ADL's widely respected anti-bias and Holocaust education curricula" used in thousands of schools nationwide.
"Calling for a National Education Association boycott of the ADL is an egregious example of the rising antisemitism in schools and society throughout North America," said Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America.
NEA President Becky Pringle has indicated the union's executive committee is carefully reviewing the measure.
"That process has begun by meeting with a multitude of Jewish leaders, civil rights leaders, academic practitioners, and elected officials," Pringle said.
Pringle also met with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt to discuss the proposal and "restate our commitment to combating the rise of antisemitism in our society."
Wiley framed the controversy within a larger pattern of attacks on educational and civil rights organizations.
"This administration is trying to end the Department of Education and silence opposition, and it is attacking labor unions, law firms, news outlets, colleges and universities, philanthropy, and many of our members," she said.
Because the NEA proposal was classified as a "sanction item," it automatically goes to the organization's Executive Committee for final approval. While the committee could still reject the measure, its passage by union members has already created tension within education and civil rights communities.
ADL CEO Greenblatt warned that "excluding ADL's gold-standard educational resources is not just an attack on our organization – it's a dangerous attack on the entire Jewish community."
Even if the executive committee approves the ban, individual schools would still be able to use ADL materials. However, the decision could create future conflicts between local NEA unions and school districts, particularly if tensions over Gaza continue.
