The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has opened an investigation into the antisemitism within the National Education Association (NEA) following a charge filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center.
The near 300-page charge alleges that the nation’s largest union of more than three million members subjected Jewish members to discriminatory practices in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
It also asserts that the NEA has perpetuated "hostile environments" for Jewish members in the union, in the NEA’s state and local affiliates, and in the workplace, "resulting in the spread of antisemitism throughout K-12 public schools."
"Members have been harmed by the NEA’s promotion of a hateful and biased environment; the proliferation of inaccurate, offensive, and antisemitic materials and attempts at ideological indoctrination; and the NEA’s causing and attempts to cause state and local affiliates and employers to discriminate against Jewish NEA members."
The charge documents depict several incidents of antisemitic discrimination, harassment, and intimidation, including: the NEA’s handbook removal of Jews as the primary victims of the Holocaust; the union's distribution of a map to all members that erased the State of Israel; the physical intimidation of members of the the Jewish Affairs Caucus by anti-Israel members, and an incident where Jewish delegates were physically surrounded and shouted at by anti-Israel advocates at the NEA’s 2025 Representative Assembly (RA).
Unions exist to 'protect employee rights:' former US assistant secretary of education
Despite repeated notice, the NEA reportedly failed to take action to address the harassment and discrimination against its Jewish members.
According to the EEOC, the charge against the NEA is currently under investigation by the agency's Washington Field Office. Investigators have been actively gathering evidence and communicating with the Brandeis Center which has been providing documents, witness information, and other materials in support of the charge.
“Unions exist to advocate for fair wages, protect employee rights, and ensure equal treatment for all members,” said Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman and CEO of the Brandeis Center and the former US Assistant Secretary of Education who ran the Office for Civil Rights during two administrations.
“No employee or union member should be excluded, intimidated, harassed, discriminated against, or denied opportunities because of their Jewish identity. That’s why our goal is not merely to end antisemitic discrimination and harassment at the NEA but also to ensure an equal playing field for members of all races, religions, and national origins."