Pennsylvania School Faces Backlash Over Pro-Palestinian Display at Culture Fair
WISSAHICKON, Pa. — December 4, 2025 — A Pennsylvania school district is facing criticism from Jewish parents following an event at Wissahickon High School where a Muslim student club distributed keffiyahs and displayed pro-Palestinian messages during an annual culture fair.
The event, held last Monday, included a booth from the Muslim Students of America chapter that parents say focused more on activism than cultural education. According to parents, students at the booth wore keffiyahs and displayed slogans such as “Jerusalem is ours.” The booth also reportedly featured cash prize contests and encouraged participation in activities described by some parents as politically charged.
Lynn Simon, a parent in the Wissahickon School District, told Fox News Digital that her child came home “shaken and unsure of whether it’s even safe to speak up as a Jew at school.” She and other parents expressed concern that the event crossed educational and ethical boundaries.
Photos from the event, shared on social media by the school’s principal, Dr. Lynne Blair, showed students wearing the keffiyahs and participating in the activities. Some of these photos have since been removed. The district’s superintendent, Dr. Mwenyewe Dawan, and assistant superintendent Sean Gardiner were also pictured at the event.
Jewish parents criticized the school leadership for what they described as endorsing political activism rather than cultural education. One parent stated, “When the principal is posting pictures of students wearing slogans like ‘Jerusalem is ours,’ and the superintendent is encouraging illegal minor-led games of chance, while visiting & taking photos with politically charged booths dressing students up in keffiyehs, that’s not education—it’s indoctrination. We don’t send our kids to school to be marginalized. We demand accountability, not photo ops.”
Steve Rosenberg, Philadelphia director for the North American Values Institute, told Fox News Digital that the school administration’s actions represent “educational malpractice.” He added, “The blurring of lines between culture and radical political propaganda — facilitated by staff, celebrated by leadership, and normalized for students — is both an embarrassment and a warning sign. School should be a place for critical thinking, not cultural intimidation and performative activism masquerading as diversity. The district owes its students better.”
Dozens of Jewish parents sent a letter to the school district outlining their concerns about the event. The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, stated that their children witnessed activities that crossed clear educational and ethical boundaries.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Wissahickon School District multiple times for comment but did not receive a response.
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