New York schools are caught red-handed distributing anti-Israel propaganda that brands Zionism as “extreme nationalism” and falsely accuses Israel of “terrorism,” while officials scramble to deny responsibility for the materials poisoning young minds.
Key Takeaways
- A controversial study guide in a New York school district defines Zionism as “extreme nationalism” and claims Israeli settlers are committing “terrorism” against Palestinians
- Both the Half Hollow Hills Central School District and New York State Education Department have denied creating or approving the materials, leaving its origin a mystery
- The anti-Israel educational materials emerge amid a surge in antisemitism across the country, raising serious concerns about indoctrination in public schools
- Republican Representative Elise Stefanik has condemned the materials, calling them “antisemitic rot” in New York’s education system
- Middle East experts have criticized the study guide as fundamentally inaccurate and dangerously misleading for students
Anti-Israel Propaganda Discovered in NY School Materials
A shocking discovery has been made in New York’s Half Hollow Hills Central School District, where a Regents Exam study guide for 10th graders contains blatantly anti-Israel content. The materials define Zionism – the movement supporting Israel as the Jewish homeland – as “extreme nationalism” and list “settler movement by Jews taking away land from Palestinians” as an example of terrorism. This inflammatory language has sparked outrage among parents, community leaders, and elected officials who recognize the dangerous misinformation being fed to impressionable students.
“On behalf of the district, I want you all to know that offensive and inaccurate materials such as this do not meet our standards of excellence and are not something we take lightly. We can and will do better moving forward,” said Brian Conboy.
The controversy comes at a particularly sensitive time, with antisemitic incidents rising dramatically across America since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. While the study guide’s exact creation date remains uncertain – with estimates ranging from 2018 to 2020 – its continued use represents a deeply troubling trend of anti-Israel sentiment permeating educational institutions. The discovery has prompted an investigation to determine who created and approved these materials, as both the school district and state education officials deny responsibility.
Officials Scramble to Deny Responsibility
In a remarkable display of bureaucratic finger-pointing, neither the Half Hollow Hills Central School District nor the New York State Education Department is willing to take responsibility for the controversial study guide. Both entities have issued statements disavowing the materials, claiming they were neither created nor approved through official channels. This raises the disturbing question of how such biased, factually incorrect materials made their way into classrooms without proper vetting or oversight.
“The worst Governor in America, Kathy Hochul owns this antisemitic rot in NY education. This New York State Regent Exam study guide is a disgraceful example of the rampant and persistent indoctrination of our children in the K-12 education system perpetrated by radical Far Left Democrats. I have been leading the charge and delivering results for years on combatting antisemitism in K-12 and higher education,” said Elise Stefanik.
Representative Elise Stefanik’s pointed criticism highlights the political dimension of this controversy, placing blame squarely on Democrat leadership for allowing such materials to proliferate in New York schools. Her comments reflect growing concern among conservatives that public education has become a vehicle for pushing leftist ideology rather than teaching historical facts and critical thinking. The lack of accountability in this case only strengthens the argument that educational oversight in New York has failed.
Experts Condemn Biased Materials
Middle East experts and academics have strongly criticized the study guide for its blatant inaccuracies and bias. The characterization of Zionism as “extreme nationalism” rather than the legitimate national movement of the Jewish people reveals a fundamental misunderstanding—or deliberate misrepresentation—of history. Similarly, equating Israeli settlement activity with terrorism represents a dangerous false equivalence that ignores the complex realities of the region while demonizing Israel.
“Zionism is not an ‘extreme’ form of nationalism, it is simply the name for the nationalism of the Jewish people,” said Eugene Kontorovich.
This incident does not exist in isolation. At the City University of New York (CUNY), Arthur Cheliotes, board chairman of the School of Labor and Urban Studies, recently sparked controversy by sharing anti-Israel conspiracy theories on Facebook, including a comparison of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. When confronted about these posts, Cheliotes defended them, claiming they “seem reasonable” to him—a response that reveals the depth of anti-Israel sentiment among some educational leaders in New York.
“This man is an imbecile and antisemite,” said Jeffrey Wiesenfeld.
Parents and community leaders are rightly demanding accountability and transparent investigation into how these materials were approved and distributed. The fact that such blatantly biased content could make its way into official study materials raises serious questions about the oversight of educational content in New York and the potential for systematic indoctrination of students with anti-Israel perspectives. Until those responsible are identified and held accountable, confidence in New York’s educational system will remain severely damaged.
