Teacher Suspended After Online Threats
A fifth-grade teacher from a private school in New York City has been suspended following a lengthy online outburst, where he warned the City University of New York that “none of you Jewish bastards are safe,” as announced by prosecutors and officials.
Joshua Penn, 39, reportedly made threatening posts after a disruptive interfaith event at City College, where an Islamic speaker insulted attendees by referring to them as “Zionists.” This, according to law enforcement and a criminal complaint, led Penn to direct messages that targeted controversial self-proclaimed Imam Abdullah Mahdi on City College’s Instagram.
Living in Manhattan, Penn teaches at Collier’s School, which confirmed on Tuesday that he’s been placed on administrative leave.
Penn was arrested on Friday and faces charges of second-degree aggravated harassment. He entered a plea of not guilty in court the same day.
The incident drew significant attention after Mahdi’s provocative remarks at the interfaith event on November 13, which were condemned widely.
Mahdi, a recent graduate pursuing a master’s degree, allegedly urged Muslim students to leave the event due to the participation of Elijah Bratman, an adjunct instructor at Baruch College and director of the Hillel Jewish campus group.
Court documents indicate that Penn, using the Instagram handle jewfacekillah, made threats on the school’s social media, which were observed by the school’s communication director last Thursday.
In one message, he reportedly stated, “Let Abdullah, the teacher, catch you on the street,” as noted in the complaint.
Penn further added, “He might not make it in time for the weekend. Send a team to your campus. None of you Jew-hating bastards are safe.”
He called the police and admitted to sending the messages, which led to his arrest, according to the complaint.
Having taught at Collier’s School since 2017, he’s currently not in the classroom.
Schools Superintendent David Egolf stated, “After becoming aware of these allegations, we placed the individual on administrative leave while we conducted an investigation. We are committed to a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment and expect all employees to uphold these values. As this is an ongoing human resources matter, we are unable to share additional information at this time.”
The newspaper attempted to contact Penn’s attorney but found his voicemail full. When reached by phone, Penn declined to comment.
His next court date is set for January 15th.
No immediate response was received from CUNY regarding the situation.
