Seattle Teachers Union Passes Pro-BDS Resolution, Endorses ‘Deadly Exchange’ Libel
A march by members and supporters of the Seattle Education Association teachers union. Photo: Twitter.
Seattle’s teachers union passed a resolution last week endorsing the antisemitic BDS movement against Israel and demanding an end to the Seattle police department’s collaboration with Israel.
Jewish human rights group the Simon Wiesenthal Center was quick to condemn the union’s move.
“Attention all US teacher union BDSers. Be sure to offload all Israeli technology from your iPhones and computers,” said Associate Dean Abraham Cooper. “Don’t forget to tell your health coverage providers to be sure your meds and diagnostics are Jew-state-free.”
Emma Klein, a Jewish anti-Israel activist and Seattle Education Association member told Mondoweiss, a news website often accused of peddling antisemitism, that the move was “a bold, vocal stand against injustice.”
Another member, Palestinian-American Cameron Payne, said, “I hope this mobilization will continue, because for us, this is just the beginning.”
The condemnation of law enforcement collaboration is based on the widely discredited “deadly exchange” conspiracy theory, which falsely claims Israel teaches American police officers to harm and kill people of color.
Collaboration between Israeli and American law enforcement mostly involves anti-terror tactics and management issues. Israel does not teach on-the-street arrest techniques.
The Seattle resolution said it was modeled after a similar resolution passed in May by the United Educators of San Francisco.
The Jewish News of Northern California spoke with one San Francisco Unified School District parent who said she felt “fear” and “outrage” due to the resolution.
“I regret sending my kids to SFUSD. We deliberately wanted them to be exposed to racial diversity and socioeconomic diversity. And now I feel like my race and my nation is being singled out in a negative way. It is uncomfortable to be an Israeli here,” she said.