RELEASE: Gottheimer Urges NJ State Board of Education to Reject CAIR-NJ’s Call to Cut Ties with ADL

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, September 17, 2025, with the new school year now in full swing, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) sent a letter to the New Jersey State Board of Education urging them to reject the Council on American-Islamic Relations-New Jersey’s (CAIR-NJ) demand that school districts sever ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Gottheimer’s letter to Board President Kathy Goldenberg emphasized the ADL’s century-long track record of combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and all forms of hate. Gottheimer warns that eliminating anti-hate and Holocaust education programs would be detrimental to New Jersey students.

“This is a misguided demand aimed at undermining the work of a nonpartisan organization that has spent more than a century fighting antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and hate in all forms,” Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) wrote in a letter to the NJ State Board of Education. “It is imperative that as you work to ensure the integrity of education for our students, that you please also work to create inclusive environments for all, regardless of background. This means rejecting any suggestion by CAIR-NJ to end any formal partnerships with the ADL.”

Read the full letter here and below:

Dear President Goldenberg:

As the 2025-2026 school year begins, I write with deep concern following the Council on American-Islamic Relations-New Jersey’s (CAIR-NJ) call earlier this summer for all Boards of Education across New Jersey to sever ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). This is a misguided demand aimed at undermining the work of a nonpartisan organization that has spent more than a century fighting antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and hate in all forms. It is imperative that as you work to ensure the integrity of education for our students, that you also work to create inclusive environments for all, regardless of background. This means rejecting any suggestion by CAIR-NJ to end any formal partnerships with the ADL.

The ADL provides anti-hate and Holocaust education to students across New Jersey. More than 100 schools across our state currently participate in the ADL’s ‘No Place for Hate’ program, which engages students in anti-bias work and fosters a culture of inclusivity. Counter to CAIR-NJ’s claims of bias, the ADL’s advocacy includes fighting anti-Muslim hate in the aftermath of 9/11, supporting civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, and combating the rise of anti-Asian xenophobia and hate following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Ending this partnership would result in the elimination of educational programs and resources that not only ensure Jewish students are included and recognized but fight hatred and intolerance of all kinds.

Unlike the ADL, which builds bridges through its programming, CAIR-NJ has continued to push divisive rhetoric. Their 2024-2025 Back to School Resources Guide contains a section entitled, “Discussing Palestine in the Classroom.” In this section, CAIR-NJ omits important details to guide such a discussion, such as an understanding of violence impacting Israelis and Palestinians, and instead tells educators to highlight Palestinian suffering while failing to acknowledge the role of Hamas and dismissing concerns about antisemitism, advising that students should not be accused of it. That is not balanced education, it is one-sided activism. With the advancement of Assembly Bill A3558, which will establish the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism as law in New Jersey, it is clear that our state leaders are eager to ensure that accusations of antisemitism are taken seriously. 

It is important to note other examples of CAIR-NJ’s unacceptable behavior. In the context of the debate on the passage of Assembly Bill A3558, CAIR-NJ has criticized the IHRA definition of antisemitism, claiming that it prevents criticism of “Israeli settler colonialism, occupation of the West Bank, [Israel’s] apartheid leveraged against Palestinians, and the ethnic cleansing and oppression of the Palestinian people.” This could not be further from the truth. It is because of the practical examples included in the IHRA definition that makes this tool uniquely valuable for modern day antisemitism. Especially post October 7, many forms of antisemitism are masked as anti-Zionism. Comments like “River to the Sea” and “kill all Zionist people” are among those most frequently encountered by many Jewish people today, whether or not they are Zionists. Additionally, the attack on October 7 was the single deadliest attack against Jewish people since the Holocaust. Nevertheless, on October 7, 2023 Selaedin Maksut, Executive Director of CAIR-NJ, posted on Facebook, “Occupation is the root of the problem” in response to Governor Murphy’s heartfelt statement regarding the attack. Such a comment not only explicitly ignores Hamas’s role in killing more than 1,200 innocent civilians that day, but also the many Jersey families whose lives were upended that day. 

To equate ADL’s advocacy against hate — including anti-Muslim hate — with “anti-Palestinian extremism,” as CAIR-NJ says in their letter to you, is not only false, but dangerous. Rejecting the ADL would send the wrong message to students and communities of all backgrounds, especially Jewish and Muslim students.

According to the 2020 Bias Incident Report, New Jersey’s children and young adults accounted for forty two percent of known offenders of bias incidents and thirty one percent of victims. The state established the Interagency Task Force to Combat Youth Bias to address these shocking statistics, including feedback from both CAIR-NJ and the ADL. New Jersey ranked third in the nation for antisemitic incidents last year. Now is not the time to dismiss critical resources to combat anti-Jewish bias and Holocaust distortion. Rather, educators should embrace them. I urge the State Board of Education to support New Jersey schools working with the ADL to promote inclusive, fact-based education that teaches students to reject hate in all forms.

Sincerely,

Josh Gottheimer

MEMBER OF CONGRESS

CC: New Jersey Education Association

The Honorable Phil Murphy, Governor

The Honorable Tahesha Way, Esq.

The Honorable Gary Schaer

The Honorable Rosaura Bagolie

The Honorable Michael Inganamort

The Honorable James Beach

The Honorable Robert Singer

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