By Jeremy Harris | KOMO News | April 6, 2024
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
Officials with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) are reviewing comments made by a teacher at Chief Sealth High School that appeared to justify the murder of Israeli victims during the October 7 attack on communities near the border with Gaza.
The teacher, Ian Golash, was confronted this week at the school by "Accuracy In Media" (AIM), a conservative activist group that has taken aim at educators across the country for alleged Antisemitic comments.
AIM president Adam Guillette asked Golash if women were murdered at the Re’im music festival on October 7.
“They were,” Golash responded.
Guillete then asked Golash if he believed the murders were justified.
“Yes,” Golash said.
“The murder of innocent women just attending a music festival, that was justified in your opinion?” Guillette asked Golash.
“No. I think resistance against Israel is justified, yes,” Golash responded.
SPS officials told KOMO News on Friday they are looking into Golash’s comments.
“While our review is in process, we will not comment on personnel matters related to this topic. Creating high-quality and inclusive educational environments for our students is a top priority for SPS. SPS does not tolerate Antisemitic or Islamophobic speech or acts in our schools or offices," the district wrote in a statement.
Earlier this year, a report from KTTH radio’s Jason Rantz reported on concerns from parents about Golash’s social media posts that allegedly denied that Hamas raped and beheaded people during the Oct. 7 attack.
“At the end of the day, politics should not be in the classroom on either side of any of these issues," Rantz told KOMO News. “The district knows precisely what he says and believes because he does it publicly. It’s going to be on Seattle Public Schools to decide if they think it’s worth defending a guy who says it’s ok to murder Jews at a music festival.”
Randy Kessler, the regional director of StandWithUs Northwest, a non-partisan group that advocates for Israel and the Jewish people, gave the following statement about the situation:
“I wish I could say that I was shocked by Ian Golash's open support of Hamas, but I'm not. We have seen a sharp rise in reported incidents of teachers using their position of authority to indoctrinate students from the classroom, particularly since the Hamas massacre on October 7th. In one case, a second grade teacher in Shoreline instructed her students to make posters saying 'Free Palestine.' In addition, the Seattle Education Association has a long history of extreme anti-Israel activism. These actions frighten many Jewish families, for whom connection to the land and people of Israel is an essential part of their Jewish identity.
While teachers are entitled to their personal political views, it's hard to see how anyone who supports Hamas' aims and denies their well-documented brutality is qualified to serve as a trustworthy source of knowledge for students. We call on Seattle Public Schools to review Golash's lessons and speak with students in his classes to ensure that his distorted views of Israel are not presented as fact.”
Read full article here.
