JCPA Responds to Politicized Ed and Workforce Report on NEA

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2026 — Today, Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), released the following statement in response to a new House Education and Workforce Committee majority staff report on antisemitism in K-12 schools:

“There are real challenges as it relates to countering antisemitism and advancing Jewish inclusion in our schools and unions, and so much more work ahead.

“However, as the Jewish organization that has partnered directly with NEA on extensive antisemitism programming over the past year, a number of the report’s claims are news to us and the thousands of educators who have been part of our programs — programs that explicitly address antisemitism in all of its forms, including as it relates to Israel.

“A report that intentionally misrepresents or ignores the work done to date only serves a political agenda rather than advancing the interests of Jewish students and educators.

“We are committed to continuing to work with the unions, government officials at all levels, and our partners to advance safer and more inclusive schools for Jewish and all students and educators. That requires action by the unions and by school districts — and it also requires the federal government to restore the very programs it’s gutted that should be protecting our students, such as Title VI and the Office of Civil Rights.”

In the last two years, JCPA has launched partnerships with both national teachers’ unions aimed at countering antisemitism and building more inclusive schools and unions. The partnership with NEA includes JCPA-led antisemitism workshops at the 2025 and 2026 Representative Assemblies; a large-scale webinar featuring Spitalnick and then-NEA President Becky Pringle on International Holocaust Remembrance Day to specifically address antisemitism and launch a new NEA antisemitism resource page; the launch of multiple resource hubs with extensive tools and curricula on antisemitism and Jewish identity; and widely heralded rules changes at the 2026 Assembly that ensured a safer convention for Jewish educators.