Massachusetts Teachers Association president defends organization promoting antisemitic materials in classrooms; teacher appears to compare Trump administration to the Holocaust

On February 10, 2025, the Massachusetts Commission on Combating Antisemitism consisting of state lawmakers held a hearing regarding the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) pushing educators to teach students anti-Israel materials after the Hamas terrorist attack. Members of the commission provided and displayed examples of anti-Israel materials using phrases such as “Zionist bullies” that had been taught in classrooms and promoted by MTA. MTA President Max Page defended teaching the anti-Israel materials to students during the meeting.

At one point, Page deflects from the anti-Israel materials and attacks Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Elon Musk. Page accuses Musk of performing a “Nazi salute” and specifically attacks the ADL for defending him. [Time Stamp: 44:50] He later accuses a committee member of having “a lot to learn from an actual educator who works diligently to teach these materials.” [Time Stamp: 49:40] Page defiantly defends the anti-Israel materials throughout the meeting in a disrespectful tone toward the committee.

Page defends his staff for posting anti-Israel and “Free Palestine” material on social media. He states that calling out these actions is “unconscionable.” He refuses to reveal who created and curated the classroom materials stating: “I think I’m done with this.” [Time Stamp 51:30] Page eventually tells the committee that his “time is limited” when another member of the committee has questions. [Time Stamp: 54:30] This committee member states that the MTA’s materials has no Jewish or Israeli perspective which is detrimental to students. He mentions that the materials accuse Israel of “apartheid,” “genocide,” and “ethnic cleansing.” [Time Stamp: 1:01:30] Despite claiming to have limited time, Page remains at the meeting.

A social studies teacher at Lexington High School states: “History teaching is political, moral, personal, and emotional.” She adds: “We are misled if we think that we always have to teach both sides of a history.” [Time Stamp: 1:10:50] She then attacks President Donald Trump: “President Trump doesn’t even seem to support our growth and development which is a long and arduous process.” [Time Stamp: 1:14:30] She then attacks Israel:

Perhaps we fear that if we presented students the horrors and origins of October 7, the hopeful and angry history of the establishment of Israel, the strategic choices of imperial powers that led to the creation of the objective documents they see in their lessons, the violence that removed and continues to remove Palestinians from their homes, the everyday sadness, frustration, and sense of despair in their lives and the lives of those who live in this chaos, the racism that is reported all over the media, that students would have no answers and no conclusions. Instead, they would confront a stunning array of contradictory accounts, vast imbalances of power, racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, nationalism, and inequity. [Time Stamp: 1:20:40]

She then appears to compare the Trump administration to the Holocaust: “And even though the Holocaust physically took place in Europe, it is a story that Americans have to reckon with too. I think the same is true about what happened on October 7, what is happening in Gaza, and what is to come during this presidential administration.” [Time Stamp: 1:22:45]

You can view the whole hearing—and follow the time stamps above here. The following document was created by the MTA for educators and contains anti-Israel sources.