NYC pols demand answers over ‘awful’ public school map that omits Israel for ‘Palestine’: ‘Tell kids the truth’
Local politicians fumed Thursday over a Brooklyn elementary school’s classroom map that left off Israel and instead labeled the region “Palestine.”
Electeds demanded answers after photos revealed the controversial “Arab World” map on a classroom wall at PS 261 in Boerum Hill as part of an “Arab Culture Arts” program funded by Qatar Foundation International (QFI).
“I am deeply concerned about this issue and we are working to determine why this map is on display, if the map was approved by the [Department of Education], and whether the exclusion of Israel is a part of the class’s curriculum,” Rep. Dan Goldman, whose district includes the school, told The Post.
“With the shocking rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the city and around the country, it is imperative that our public schools accurately and fully teach our students about the history and origins of the state of Israel,” the Democratic congressman added.
City Councilman Eric Dinowitz, who chairs the Jewish Caucus of the City Council, called the map “awful” and pushed for answers.
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Republican who reps heavily Jewish southern Brooklyn, blasted the map and demanded educators should “tell kids the truth.
“They’re not supposed to be inserting politics into the school system,” Vernikov said. “Tell kids the truth. There’s a State of Israel on the map.”
Joseph Potostanik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, meanwhile, said that “wiping Israel off the map” was “preposterous.”
“We’re supposed to be teaching students the facts and critical thinking,” he said. Instead, they’re being presented with a prejudicial political narrative. They’re teaching hatred.”
The map, which was first exposed in an article by The Free Press Thursday, was manufactured by Arab education company Ruman and features Islamic landmarks in each of the countries in northern Africa and the Middle East.
It’s part of a program taught by educator Rita Lahoud and funded by QFI, the American wing of the Qatar Foundation, a nonprofit owned by the country’s ruling family.
Photos show the map was posted under the heading “Arab World” with hand-drawn labels marking each country, except for Israel which was labeled “Palestine.”
Asked by the Free Press if the map had been taken down, DOE spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said “Why would it not be? This is a map of countries that speak Arabic,” according to the outlet.
In a statement to The Post Thursday, he said, “As soon as we were made aware of concerns regarding the map it was removed.”
“We are committed to fostering a welcoming environment here at New York City Public Schools that supports all cultures and communities,” he added.
When asked why the DOE had backtracked on its original comment to the Free Press, he pointed The Post back to his previous response — leaving some educators scratching their heads.
“What I find most troubling is the fact that it took outside forces to create an environment in which administrators in New York City public schools finally took action,” Tova Plaut, a city public school instructional coordinator for early childhood education, told The Post.
Inside the classroom where the map appears, Lahoud, a Palestinian-American who was born in the US but moved to the Middle East at the age of 7, teaches lessons “about the art and culture of the Arab world” in Arabic, according to the QFI blog.
When reached for comment, the principal of PS 261 and the PTA directed the Post to the DOE. Lahoud could not be reached for comment.
QFI funded the program as part of more than $1 million given to the DOE over the past four years, public records show.
The foundation donated about $241,000 in 2019 and 2020, $275,000 in 2021, and $513,000 in 2022. Records for 2023 are not yet available.
The Post has contacted QFI for comment.
Parents picking up their children outside PS 261 had mixed reactions to the map.
“You’re in the public school system and my opinion is they should represent everyone,” said a Jewish mom, who did not wish to be named, whose daughter is in the class.
Another mom, who also wished not to be named, called the teacher “amazing” and “enthusiastic.”
The mom said the school has a large Arabic population and defended the map by saying it was “referring to Arabic-speaking countries.”
Plaut vehemently disagreed, saying that the map represented a dark reality of the political landscape and a dangerous future for US school students.
“It was a perfect example of Jewish erasure in New York City public schools,” she said.
“There is a country there called Israel. We don’t have maps that still say USSR in classrooms.”
Plaut said Campus Watch reports that QFI funds programs at least three schools in New York City including PS261, PS30 and the global language project in New York City.
It remains unclear whether the map has been used in PS30 or as part of the global language project, but did appear in a post on X last month in a Texas classroom.
A different map, also labeled the eastern district ‘Palestine’ with no mention of Israel at Manara Academy in Irving, Texas.
Photos posted by QFI showed a teacher wearing a hijab and hand-painting the map followed by the finished piece being hung on a wall.
