UJT sends letter to NYC public schools' chancellor over use of image by anti-Israel illustrator
The letter noted that Latuff has a "documented history of cartoons that equate Israeli actions with the Holocaust and have been cited by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and others for antisemitic tropes.
United Jewish Teachers (UJT) delivered a formal protest to New York City Public Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels, expressing concerns over the utilization of a vocabulary card in the city-approved NYC Reads curriculum. The card, accessible through the educational platform Kiddom via ClassHub, features artwork by a political cartoonist accused of producing antisemitic illustrations.
The card, intended to teach the word "hug" to kindergartners, depicts a Jewish child wearing a yarmulke embracing an adult man wearing a keffiyeh-style head covering. UJT argues that the image, created by Brazilian political cartoonist Carlos Latuff in 2004, carries a "documented history of antisemitic tropes" and should be removed or replaced with more age-appropriate and non-political instructional materials.
UJT's President Moshe Spern criticized the decision, questioning who approved the inclusion of such a graphic in the curriculum and called for an immediate review and removal of the card. Latuff responded, expressing surprise that the cartoon advocating reconciliation was targeted and requested Kiddom to remove the image and issue an apology.
As of the article's publication, Samuels had not responded to The Jerusalem Post's request for comment.
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