ACT NOW! Protest Outrageous Anti-Israel Loyalty Test Imposed on Jewish Educators!

In an outrageous demand raising serious concerns about antisemitism, Jewish early childhood educators were told they had to take a political stand against Israel to participate in an educational program in Italy that had nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Nearly 100 Jewish early childhood educators from schools across the United States canceled a planned educational trip to Italy earlier this month after being instructed to sign a statement condemning Israel’s military operations in Gaza as a condition of participating in a Reggio Children program focused on teaching young children.

The political declaration, which had no apparent connection to the educational program, was presented to participants preparing to study an internationally recognized approach to early childhood education in the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia.

“I distance myself from the occupation of Gaza and the violation of children’s and human beings’ rights in the occupied territories as well as in every place in the world,” the statement read, according to a screenshot obtained by Jewish Insider, which first reported the incident.

The demand disrupted a yearslong academic partnership between American and Italian educational institutions and led to the cancellation of the visit, which had been scheduled for Oct. 11-16.

The Paradigm Project, a U.S.-based professional learning network for early childhood educators, had organized the trip to introduce Jewish education professionals to the Reggio Emilia approach.

In a statement to educators, the Paradigm Project confirmed that it had canceled the trip and informed Reggio Children that the planned visit would not take place.

Make your voices heard! Discrimination against Jewish educators is unacceptable! Professional opportunities must never be conditioned on political conformity!

Write to:

Maddalena Tedeschi, president of Reggio Children, at info@reggiochildren.it

Marwa Mahmoud, Reggio Emilia councilor for education policy, at segreteria.assessoramahmoud@comune.re.it

Marco Massari, Mayor of Reggio Emilia, at segreteria.sindaco@comune.re.it

Sample letter:

Dear Reggio Children Leadership,

I am writing to express my outrage and deep disappointment over reports that nearly 100 Jewish early childhood educators from the United States were required to sign a political statement condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza as a condition of participating in an educational program in Reggio Emilia.

This demand is unacceptable, discriminatory and raises serious concerns about antisemitism.

These educators were traveling to Italy to learn about early childhood education, exchange professional knowledge and explore teaching methods designed to nurture children’s creativity, curiosity and intellectual development. They were not attending a political conference, nor had they enrolled in a program concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

What possible justification could there be for requiring educators working with young children to declare their political positions on Israel before being permitted to participate in a professional educational program?

Education should bring people together across national, religious and political differences. It should encourage intellectual openness, mutual respect and the free exchange of ideas. Imposing ideological conditions on participation directly contradicts these fundamental principles.

It is particularly disturbing that Jewish educators were placed in a position where they were expected to endorse a political statement concerning Israel or forfeit an educational opportunity. Singling out participants for such a declaration raises troubling questions about discrimination, as these Jewish professionals were subjected to political tests that would not be imposed on educators from other backgrounds.

I urge Reggio Children to publicly explain who authorized this requirement, why it was imposed and whether similar political declarations are demanded of other international participants.

I also call on your organization to withdraw any such requirement, apologize to the affected educators and provide clear assurances that future educational programs will be open to qualified participants regardless of their nationality, religion or political beliefs.

No educator should have to denounce Israel or any other country as the price of professional development.

An institution devoted to educating young children should be setting an example of tolerance, inclusion and respect, not imposing political loyalty tests that divide and exclude.

I hope you will treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves and take immediate steps to restore confidence in your institution’s commitment to educational freedom and nondiscrimination.

Sincerely,

[Your name]