The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia (“Jewish Federation”) v. Keziah Ridgeway

Philadelphia, PA

date case opened

4 September 2024

up and coming deadlines

about case

The Deborah Project represents the central Jewish charitable organization in Philadelphia in the Federation’s complaint against teacher Keziah Ridgeway, who has verbally attacked Jewish parents, Zionism, and Israel, and who threatened Jewish parents with gun violence.

As a result of the Complaint, Ridgeway has been removed from her Philadelphia public school classroom. The investigation continues, while acolytes of Ridgeway repeatedly protest her removal, including shutting down a school board meeting.

Submit Case

Please fill out the form, providing a brief description of the incident.

One of our attorneys will review your submission and contact you to arrange a call for further discussion.

If you or someone you know has experienced antisemitism in education, we encourage you to share your story with The Deborah Project so that we can provide advice about whether the legal rights of Jews have been violated and if so, what options there are for moving forward.

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FAQs

We’re here to help. Check out some of our most frequently asked questions. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, be sure to contact someone from our team.

Is antisemitism in school settings illegal?

Acts of Antisemitism can be the basis of a legal violation, so long as those acts create an interference with the ability to do one's job or to participate in one's educational experience.

Don't teachers have free speech rights, so they can't be punished for saying antisemitic things?

K-12 public school teachers do NOT have free speech rights in the classroom or whenever they are performing their official duties. Private school teachers have greater leeway, as do college professors.

Do anti-Zionist/anti-Israel assertions constitute a violation of anti-discrimination laws?

It depends. The U.S. government has slowly begun to recognize that anti-Zionism can constitute antisemitism, and so is subject to anti-discrimination laws, when such hostility goes beyond merely criticizing the Israeli government for various policies but instead attacks Zionists or Israelis for things the speaker doesn't criticize other countries for doing. This is why it is so important for institutions and governments to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and its examples.

Discrimination in education is governed by Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But Title VI doesn't include religion as a protected category. So is antisemitism not considered discriminatory under Title VI?

Someone who is Jewish and believes that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state may have a claim under Title VI under the protected categories of Shared Ancestry and Ethnicity.

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