A special education teacher in San Diego was terminated on February 3 after she posted a video alleging that Israel was involved in harvesting “livers, kidneys, and eyeballs,” leading to pressure from local Jewish community members.
Nasreen Atassi is no longer with the San Diego Unified School District, a spokesman confirmed when approached about the reports of her firing. This action followed her controversial video.
In the video, Atassi ranted, saying Israel was “hijacking the protests to do the same BS they always do” and accused the country of stealing everything from goods to human organs.
A watchdog group called StopAntisemitism circulated the video online, calling for her dismissal.
Her statements echoed historical anti-Semitic tropes that have often been used to vilify Jewish people.
The controversial post drew quick backlash, resulting in multiple complaints to district officials.
“Imagine this monster being near a special needs Jewish child,” StopAntisemitism remarked in a follow-up post.
Reports indicated that Atassi was let go within a day of the video’s spread.
“There is no way we would allow such a person into the classroom,” remarked a local Israeli community member during a broadcast interview.
This incident adds to the increasing scrutiny of anti-Semitic occurrences in California schools, particularly following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing conflict in Gaza. Advocacy groups reported a rise in anti-Semitic language, vandalism, and harassment in schools across California.
Dr. Halevi Feldman, executive director of the Israel Balboa Park Council, mentioned that the community has a system in place to document anti-Semitic incidents and report them to the appropriate entities.
“There are people in our community responsible for collecting these cases,” Feldman explained, adding that they document and forward issues to relevant authorities.
Feldman noted that a coordinated community effort, which included online advocacy and filing complaints, significantly influenced the district’s decision to fire Atassi.
“She was removed from the education system in less than a day,” he stated, suggesting that other measures were taken privately as well.
While the community wasn’t shocked by the video, Feldman emphasized that maintaining silence is not an option. “We’re never going to give up or be silent. We won’t allow someone like that to be part of San Diego’s education system,” he concluded.
