OPINION | Open Letter to Seattle Public Schools: Reinstate Teacher Ian Golash Immediately

by a coalition of Jewish educators

We are Jewish educators, and we are distressed, saddened, and dismayed to see our employer, Seattle Public Schools (SPS), the largest school district in the state of Washington, institutionalize censorship and reprimand critical thinking. 

In April, SPS educator Ian Golash was confronted at his school during class when a right-wing extremist flew in from Florida to doxx and harass him for comments he made on his personal Facebook page. A truck showed up at Mr. Golash’s school while he was teaching, with large screens on three sides of the vehicle. On both broad sides, it said Mr. Golash had “denied Hamas raped and murdered Israelis on October 7th.” On the back, it read, “IanGolash.com.” A speaker on the “doxxing truck” blared a repeated refrain, “Shame … shame … shame.” The story was even picked up by the New York Post, and internet trolls began calling for his firing, threatening him, sharing his personal address, and even showing up to his house.

Golash turned the harassment he received into a teaching moment about dialogue across the political aisle, a commendable response in the face of threats and intimidation. SPS’ actions, on the other hand, to target Mr. Golash, remove him from the classroom, and put him under investigation, are shameful. Instead of responding to the harassment, SPS put him on leave and is now investigating him for his views in support of Palestinian people, saying his views may have resulted in the “disparate treatment of students who identified as Jewish.” 

As Jewish educators, we feel it is vital to be clear that being critical of Israel is not antisemitism, and censoring discussions about the war on Gaza is not protecting Jewish students.

The wrongful response by SPS is an action with consequences far beyond Mr. Golash. It is an act that sends a chilling message to all SPS educators: no to dialogue, no to critical thinking. We disagree. Our job is not only to teach students facts and figures, but also to help them build the tools to navigate a complex world by critically analyzing media, learning to discuss different opinions with each other, and learning how to effect change in their communities.

SPS’ investigation of Mr. Golash presumes that any criticism of the Israeli government’s war on Gaza or any support of resistance to its military occupation is an attack on Jewish people. Identifying as Jewish does not imply support for Israel’s actions toward the Palestinian people. Opposing the Israeli military’s massacres of Palestinians and land theft does not imply hatred toward Jewish people. Many Jewish Israelis oppose their government’s actions as well.

Antisemitism in the United States is very real. We saw it in the tiki torches in Charlottesville, Virginia, and in the shooting at L’Simcha Congregation synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Everyone has the right to feel safe, but this new post-Oct. 7 debate over antisemitism in our schools is being used as a smoke screen to silence discussion of this U.S.-funded regional war being waged by Israel. Weaponizing accusations of antisemitism to deflect criticisms of the Israeli government is like crying wolf. When real antisemitism inevitably reappears, it’s less likely to be taken seriously, making Jewish people less safe.

Educators have not been given tools or support to have these urgent discussions. Some are courageously attempting these conversations anyway, only to be rewarded with harassment, doxxing, and even threats to our jobs. Many, many more educators are staying silent, despite knowing and seeing the harm this does as students are left to resort to social media as a source of news and analysis, unguided by adults. Do we really want to leave our students to try to figure out this issue in self-reinforcing social media rabbit holes? That’s what happens when we censor these discussions in classrooms. Forced silence only increases bias and prejudice. Public school districts bowing to these demands for silence, cancel culture, and censorship makes nobody safer.

Not only is Mr. Golash’s treatment bad for free speech, but it goes against Superintendent Chris Reykdal’s recent guidelines for responding to antisemitism and islamophobia. “To rise to the level of discriminatory harassment that is prohibited under state and federal law, the conduct must include something beyond the mere expression of views, words, symbols, or thoughts that some person finds offensive — it must also be considered sufficiently serious to deny or limit a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the educational program.” From that statement, one would think educators will be given every benefit of the doubt when engaging in these conversations. Yet, the reality is the opposite for those who express abhorrence toward the current war on Gaza and now Lebanon. Across the state, educators, parents, and students are facing backlash and threats for supporting Palestine, such as last week when Superintendent Reykdal encouraged principals to crack down on student walkouts “to prevent antisemitic and discriminatory behavior.” Support for Palestinian people is not antisemitic, and cracking down on students’ First Amendment right to protest is teaching them entirely the wrong lesson.

This attack on Mr. Golash is not an isolated incident. His persecution is reminiscent of the district’s attack on the speech of Jon Greenberg a decade ago. Greenberg, a key developer of ethnic studies curriculum in Seattle and Washington, was put on leave for allegedly making white students uncomfortable through discussions about racism. At the time, Greenberg asked, “Are we at the stage now where just the topic of white privilege constitutes ‘intimidation’ to white people? This is happening all over.” It took over two years for Greenberg to get his position back at The Center School. We cannot afford to lose our bravest educators at such a critical time. 

In SPS’ wording about teaching ethnic studies, it states, “We will engage in problem-posing learning and critical inquiry to take ownership of our own narratives and to understand and respond to injustice in a variety of ways.” It’s been a year of escalatory bombing, and the actions of the Israeli government and U.S. support of it show no sign of abating. But SPS is attacking educators who question the dominant pro-war narrative. SPS, please reverse course and live up to your values.

Ian Golash has been castigated and subjected to threats to his life for asking his students to engage in critical inquiry about the narratives we are given about a war supported and funded by our government. The district should be honoring Mr. Golash for his two decades dedicated to his students and to the curriculum. The district should stand with Mr. Golash against those who literally threaten his life, not side with them by threatening his job. Seattle Public Schools: Return Ian Golash to the classroom. Restore his contributions to Chief Sealth’s community, its learnings, and its dialogues.

Signed,

Ailena Jones – Lincoln High School

Alicia Raftery – Cleveland High School

Anna S. Bychkova – Leschi Elementary

Connor Lee – Boren Stem K-8

David Katz – SPS educator emeritus and substitute teacher

Eli Zavatsky – Interagency Academy

Emma Klein – Kimball Elementary School

Hope Scholman – South Shore preK-8

James Whitney Kahn Parker – Franklin High School

Jen Greenstein – Arbor Heights Elementary 

Jennifer Hogue – BF Day Elementary

Mark Epstein – Substitute at Rainier Beach High School

Peter Henry – Substitute at Franklin High School

Rachel Edelman – Garfield High School

Sam Friedman – SPS

Sarah Potter – Cascadia Elementary