The complaint also alleges that Kurzer wore a keffiyeh at school on Oct. 7, the anniversary of the massacre.
By United with Israel Staff
A New York City public school teacher is facing calls for an official investigation after she was identified among anti-Israel protesters who disrupted a Manhattan vigil commemorating victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.
Mia Kurzer, a special education teacher at The Heritage School in East Harlem, participated in the Oct. 7 demonstration at Union Square, according to the New York Post, which first reported on a formal complaint filed against her with the New York City Department of Education and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels.
The protest targeted a gathering marking three years since the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel. Demonstrators disrupted the event as victims were being remembered, while some protesters displayed Hamas and Hezbollah flags and chants included “globalize the intifada,” according to the Post.
Jewish activist and educator Moshe Spern filed the complaint against Kurzer on Oct. 8, raising concerns that her conduct could contribute to a hostile environment for Jewish students and staff at her school.
The complaint also alleges that Kurzer wore a keffiyeh at school on Oct. 7, the anniversary of the massacre. Spern has called on education officials to investigate her conduct.
Kurzer has previously taken part in anti-Israel activism.
In November 2025, she participated in a demonstration targeting an event at a Manhattan synagogue, according to information cited in the complaint. Spern has previously raised concerns with education officials over her involvement in such protests.
Before becoming a New York City teacher, Kurzer was also involved in the 2024 anti-Israel encampment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where police eventually moved to remove tents erected by protesters.
Kurzer has also spoken publicly about her opposition to Israel and Zionism as part of her activism.
Spern argues that her participation in the Oct. 7 protest, combined with her previous activism and alleged conduct at school, warrants scrutiny from the Department of Education over whether Jewish students and faculty can feel welcome in her presence.
He is calling for a formal investigation into the allegations.
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