A Minneapolis teachers union is under fire after Mayor Jacob Frey called on the union to cancel an event featuring a guest speaker who has been accused of making antisemitic remarks.

A subgroup of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers called “Educators for Palestine” is set to host a 3-hour event on Friday with Taher Herzallah, titled “Being an Educator in a Time of War and Genocide.”

He is a member of the Columbia Heights Park and Recreation Commission and a community organizer with American Muslims for Palestine. Herzallah has openly supported Palestine and criticized Israel and has been embroiled in controversy over comments he made in October 2023 in a widely circulated video. 

Critics have zeroed in on something Herzallah said at a virtual event for the Muslim American Society less than a week after Israel invaded Gaza in response to Hamas-led militants attacking southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds.

“Anybody who has any relationship or any support or identifies themselves as a Jewish person or as a Christian Zionist, then we shall not be their friend. I will tell you that they are enemy number one and our community needs to recognize that as such,” Herzallah said.

The criticism picked up after a post from Canary Mission, an organization that publishes a watch list of anti-Zionist college students and faculty, sometimes leading to doxxing, death threats and more.

“It is not surprising that the Minneapolis Teacher’s Union is hosting Taher Herzallah, a terror supporter & Jew-hater,” the Nov. 18 post read.

In response, Mayor Jacob Frey, who is Jewish, said in a statement on Twitter that the group should cancel the event with Herzallah for his “anti-Semitic views” and that “schools must be spaces for unity, not division.”

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas also denounced Herzallah’s comments.

“It is unacceptable for MFT to allow into their space a notorious antisemitic activist who said just days after the October 7, 2023, massacre that Jews are ‘enemy number one.’ This same activist has also openly and repeatedly advocated for terrorism against Israelis,” said Ethan Roberts, deputy executive director of the council.

Herzallah has since said his statement was taken out of context and said the misquoting was an effort to “silence Palestinian and Muslim critics of Israel’s policies.” In the October 2023 video, his quote was part of an overall point calling for people “to ensure we have a united stand against the state of Israel and Zionism.”

“Mayor Frey’s comments demonstrate a clear lack of understanding of the full context of my remarks,” Herzallah said. “It’s evident I was referring to Muslim normalization with Zionists and addressing Jewish and Christian Zionists as entities opposed to the liberation of my community and people. I also highlighted the importance of anti-Zionist Jewish solidarity with Palestine.”

He vowed to continue his advocacy “despite the smear campaigns aimed at silencing him.” 

“I am most disappointed that Mayor Frey used this misquote as an opportunity to malign the incredibly principled teachers and organizers at MFT. Their commitment to truth and advocacy makes them staples in our community, and their work will continue to inspire students to become upright global citizens.”

The Educators for Palestine group said in a statement on Instagram that they support Herzallah.

“The misinformation being spread is racist and offensive. These attacks are meant to silence Palestinian perspectives by weaponizing baseless accusations of antisemitism. Organizations like JCRC attempt to speak for all Jews and conflate Zionism with Judaism. We firmly reject these forms of racism and unapologetically stand behind Taher.”

The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, MFT Educators for Palestine and American Muslims for Palestine, where Herzallah serves as director for outreach and organizing, did not respond to MPR News for comment.