At 8:30 a.m. on July 5, Bruce Shaffer was the first to arrive at the Colorado Convention Center, holding a sign that said “T/Y N.E.A. For No To Anti Zionist Hate.”
The message was aimed at members of the National Education Assn.
“It’s really important to be out here,” Shaffer said, “and let the NEA know that we’re really in favor of solid education that presents kids with fair content and not indoctrination to anti-Zionist, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic tropes that predispose them to a type of thinking that really just leads nowhere but to hatred.
“It’s really distressing that we have to be out here.
“On the other hand, it feels good to take a public, visible stand as proud and unapologetic Jews.”
The Colorado Convention Center was the site of the NEA’s annual meeting. More than 7,000 educators were in Denver for the July 3-7 conference.
Past NEA conclaves have been punctuated by hate rallies.
The 2024 NEA meeting in Philadelphia saw the group NEA Educators for Palestine waving Palestinian terrorist flags.
Last year in Portland, Ore., anti-Israel delegates approved when the June 1, 2025 terrorist attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder was mentioned during a large meeting.
Shaffer had company in his effort to ward off another potential hate rally.
More than 50 Denverites joined a peaceful, pro-Israel rally organized by StandWithUs outside the Convention Center as delegates arrived.
Signs saying “Schools Are No Place For Extremism And Hate” and “Protect Teachers From Hate” lined the 14th St. entrance.
“Thank you for what you do,” was heard from a bullhorn.
“Teach kids how to think, not what to think.”
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, groups like StandWithUs and other pro-Israel activist organizations in Denver have encountered face-to-face altercations at rallies by anti-Israel groups. The pro-Israel faction was prepared for the same.
As it turned out, conflict was averted. Twenty or so members of NEA Educators for Palestine held a quiet protest outside the Convention Center one day earlier, July 4, displaying signs that read, “Starvation Is A Weapon of Genocide.” There were no reported altercations.
The July 5 StandWithUs rally was held without incident. The group was outside the Convention Center for an hour. Delegates entering the building often broke stride to take curious notice of the activist group. Many delegates passed by with thumbs-up signs.
“This is democracy in its finest,” said delegate Jennifer Moore, a union representative in Palm Springs, Calif.
“There are millions of teachers in the United States. We come here and get to hear differing sides from every popular belief. We don’t all believe the same thing. You’ve got to hear everybody’s side and everybody has a voice, which is democracy.”
Moore gazed toward the activists.
“That’s amazing. We’ve had 250 years of beautiful democracy.”
“It is amazing to feel the support from the Colorado Jewish community,” said Jay Goldfisher, from the Jewish Caucus of the NEA. “It’s such an important event for educators who are shaping the minds of the next generation.
“I was in Philadelphia two years ago for this exact same convention and there were two groups who were rallying at the same time, facing each other. The Jewish allied group was happy and singing and dancing and thanking teachers.
“The other group was mad and yelling hate slogans. When that happens, you can see the dichotomy between the two groups.”
Near Goldfisher, a woman was holding a sign that read, “Liberate Schools from AntiZionist Hate.”
After the hour, most of the delegates had arrived inside the Convention Center. The Jewish activist group was done making its collective plea.
“The only thing that I anticipated was if one of the delegates would be potentially getting upset that we were there, or something along those lines,” said Miri Kornfeld, Colorado director of StandWithUs. “But this was largely love. I’m very grateful that things went well at the convention.”
Following the assembly, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and other Jewish groups released a statement congratulating the Jewish Affairs Caucus (JAC) of the National Education Association (NEA) “for its leadership and success at this year’s NEA Representative Assembly.”
“Jewish educators participated actively throughout the NEA Representative Assembly, and members of the JAC exemplified the highest standards of civic and communal engagement. Their strategy delivered concrete results: the caucus proposed, negotiated, and successfully advanced three amendments to the NEA Constitution and a resolution on Jewish education.”
