For nearly three years, Jewish families in the School District of Philadelphia raised serious concerns about what their children experienced in and outside Hannah Gann’s classroom. The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia brought those concerns directly to District leadership numerous times. They were never adequately resolved.

This week, Ms. Gann publicly acknowledged that claims she made for years about being Palestinian, Tunisian and Black were false. The communities whose identities and experiences she misrepresented were wronged by that deception and deserve honesty and respect.

But her admission also raises serious questions about her conduct as a teacher. Ms. Gann taught and spoke publicly about Israel and Palestinians while invoking a personal identity and lived experience she now acknowledges were not her own. She testified before the Board of Education as a Palestinian teacher, speaking about “our homeland” and “my family living in a war zone.” Those claims, she now acknowledges, were false.

At the same time, Jewish families were telling the District that their children were encountering material and rhetoric that left them feeling singled out and uncomfortable expressing their Jewish identity and connection to Israel. Jewish Federation repeatedly raised those concerns with District leadership and, in March, provided Superintendent Tony Watlington with the full record of that correspondence.Palestinian, Tunisian and Black communities deserve to have their identities and experiences treated with honesty and respect. Jewish students also deserve a classroom where they can be fully themselves, without feeling singled out or ashamed of their Jewish identity or their personal or familial connection to Israel. 

This is not about preventing educators from holding political views or schools from teaching difficult subjects, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Students should encounter complex issues and different perspectives. But they deserve instruction that is accurate and fair, educators who are honest about the experiences they bring to those conversations, and classrooms where no child feels they must hide or apologize for an important part of who they are.

In December 2024, the District entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that included commitments related to reporting and investigating allegations of antisemitism. Jewish Federation has now asked the District leadership what action it will take, what support it will provide to affected students, and how it will ensure its obligations to Jewish students are met.

For nearly three years, Jewish students and families asked to be heard. They deserved to be taken seriously then, and they deserve answers now.

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About the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Since 1901, the Jewish Federation has served as the hub of the region’s Jewish communities, providing an infrastructure of support for Jewish people and organizations in need. Through grants, emergency funding, restricted gifts, endowments, and our partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Day Schools, we annually invest in caring for those in need, combating antisemitism and global crisis, and securing a vibrant Jewish future. For more information, please visit: jewishphilly.org.

For media inquiries, please contact phillyfed@redbanyan.com.