The principal of a Brooklyn middle school last week in an email called on staff to urge the American government to place sanctions on Israel, causing outrage and leading to an investigation by the school board, reported the New York Post.
The email, sent during the 11-day period in which Hamas fired 4,000 rockets at Israel which responded by attacking terror infrastructure in Gaza, including a call to “take action today by protesting, attending a vigil, making a public commitment to Palestinian Liberation, signing a petition, or calling your government officials to place sanctions on Isreal (sic).”
It was written on Wednesday May 19 by MS 136 Principal Amanda Bueno. It began “If you have been watching the news in absolute horror, you are not alone.”
Bueno also wrote, “The time is now to take a stand for those impacted by state-sanctioned violence and crimes against the humanity of the most vulnerable in our world.”
The subject of the email was, "Day of Action in Solidarity with The Palestinian Uprising & General Strike."
A list of pro-Palestinian links was also included.
The New York Post quoted a Jewish MS 136 teacher as saying, “I opened the email and I was in shock. I felt very targeted and very attacked by her words.”
Added the teacher, “These resources she provided, it’s propaganda… There was nothing in the email about Hamas rockets targeting innocent Israeli civilians.”
Lawyer Inna Vernikov, who previously worked as a staffer for former NY Assembleyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), sent a letter to the NYC Department of Education asking them to reprimand Bueno.
“New York law forbids requesting or encouraging any public servant, city employee, or subordinate public servant/employee to engage in political activities,” she wrote, according to the Post.
The issue is being investigated internally by the Department of Education.