Every year, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children are taught in schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA. Unfortunately, researchers have determined that despite promises to the contrary, students in UNRWA schools are learning from a curricula approved by the Palestinian Authority which encourages violence, rejects peace, and demonizes both Israel and the Jewish people.
Hadassah is organizing a bipartisan effort in Congress to urge UN Secretary-General António Guterres to stop schools run UNRWA from teaching Palestinian children lessons steeped in hatred, antisemitism and violence.
Rising antisemitism, hatred and extremism pose a threat to Jewish communities worldwide, and the challenge is acute within Palestinian communities serviced by UNRWA. As political leaders in the U.S. consider whether to restore taxpayer funding to UNRWA, Congress can leverage its voice and influence to push for changes that will have a long-term positive impact on Israelis and Palestinians, reduce antisemitism, and build a safer and more tolerant world— but only if YOU speak up!
Visit the National Action Center and urge your Senators and Representatives to sign a bipartisan letter, organized by Hadassah and endorsed by more than a dozen major pro-Israel organizations, urging Secretary-General Guterres to uphold the values of the UN and protect children from dangerous lessons of hatred.
We cannot allow this to continue. Teaching hatred undermines the UN’s mission and values, threatens Jews and Israelis, and robs Palestinian children of the promise of building a brighter tomorrow. Standing up to the purveyors of hatred and antisemitism, and those who enable them at UNRWA, is essential.
To learn more about the importance of Hadassah’s effort to reform UNRWA’s curriculum, watch our interview with Marcus Sheff, CEO of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), and read the most recent press coverage about our work in Congress:
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