WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) has urged the New Jersey State Board of Education to reject a request from the Council on American-Islamic Relations-New Jersey (CAIR-NJ) that school districts sever ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
In a letter sent Wednesday to Board President Kathy Goldenberg, Gottheimer highlighted the ADL’s century-long record of combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of hate. He argued that removing the ADL from school partnerships would undermine anti-hate and Holocaust education programs that benefit students across the state.
“This is a misguided demand aimed at undermining the work of a nonpartisan organization that has spent more than a century fighting antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and hate in all forms,” Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) wrote in a letter to the NJ State Board of Education. “It is imperative that as you work to ensure the integrity of education for our students, that you please also work to create inclusive environments for all, regardless of background. This means rejecting any suggestion by CAIR-NJ to end any formal partnerships with the ADL.”
Gottheimer’s letter comes as the new school year begins and amid ongoing debates over curriculum, diversity, and inclusion efforts in New Jersey classrooms.
