Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and other top New Jersey officials are urging the state’s largest teachers’ union to reverse its decision to appoint Ayat Oraby as an editor of its NJEA Review magazine, citing a series of antisemitic and pro-Hamas posts on social media.

Gottheimer has engaged repeatedly with the New Jersey Education Association in recent weeks, sending two letters to union leadership outlining his concerns, but Oraby, who was appointed in August, has remained in her position at the Review — a magazine distributed to roughly 200,000 educators statewide.

Oraby’s since-deleted posts on X, screenshots of which were viewed by JI, hold Israel — not Hamas — responsible for the deaths of Israelis during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, claiming Israel “killed many of its citizens,” and voiced her support of Hamas, praising their actions on social media as “resistance” in August 2025.

“While the criminal occupation gang kills children in the streets and treats Muslims with no mercy, you find liberated prisoners hugging and kissing HAMAS soldiers, which indicates the good treatment they received,” Oraby posted, referring to videos of Israeli hostages staged by Hamas. 

In other posts, Oraby explicitly called for violence against Israeli officials and claimed in July 2025 that the Jewish state “surpassed Nazism by far.” She also referred to journalists as “the filthy Hebrew media.”

“Ms. Oraby has an extremely troubling public record of promoting divisive, violent, and hate-filled rhetoric that has no place in our great state, and that must be addressed immediately,” Gottheimer wrote in his initial letter to NJEA on Oct. 6. “It is clear that Ms. Oraby should not be involved in any publication sent to New Jersey’s educators or, for that matter, have any role in educating our teachers or children.”

After the initial letter was sent, NJEA Director of Communications Steven Baker said in a statement that the organization was “aware” of the issue and was “addressing it through … internal processes.” The organization told Gottheimer they would look into the matter, but did not respond again. 

“To date, I have not received any response from NJEA, nor any confirmation that Ms. Oraby has been removed from her editorial position,” Gotthemier wrote in a follow-up letter on Oct. 21. “I, once again, urge immediate action consistent with NJEA’s standards of conduct. The growing number of voices demanding accountability underscores how important it is for NJEA to act swiftly and decisively to maintain the confidence of New Jersey families.”

The NJEA has declined a request for comment on Wednesday.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who is currently running for New Jersey governor, has also condemned Oraby’s rhetoric, urging the NJEA to reverse its decision in a strongly worded message earlier this month. 

“I’m outraged by Ms. Oraby’s antisemitic, pro-Hamas social media posts,” Sherrill said in a statement. “This is unacceptable and NJEA needs to immediately act and fire her from this position. An individual with bigoted views has no place as an editor of a magazine distributed to our state’s teachers.” 

Local Jewish elected officials have also voiced their concerns, sending a letter to NJEA with 24 signees on Oct. 15. The letter expressed “deep concern” at the organization’s lack of urgency.

“We are disappointed that no corrective action has yet been taken despite clear evidence and mounting public concern. Words matter and silence in the face of hate speech is Complicity,” the signatories, who include Democratic elected officials from Bergen County, state. “We strongly urge you to act immediately to remove Ms. Oraby from any editorial or leadership role within the NJEA and to reaffirm the Association’s commitment to ensuring that all educators, students, and families regardless of religion or background can feel safe, respected, and represented.”