A pre-K teacher at an Upper East Side public school went unpunished by the city’s Department of Education after putting up a crude poster outside of her classroom that was slammed as antisemitic.
Siriana Abboud, a 29-year-old teacher at PS 59, Beekman Hill International School, sparked outcry over the poster, which featured drawings of different noses with the question, “Why do people have different noses?” written on it.
“I think it’s based on your ethnic identity. In art, we learn that you can often tell ethnicity from the bridge of your nose,” a note on the poster signed “Siriana (PreK)” said.
Jewish staffers complained that the display evoked cruel antisemitic stereotypes.
The poster was removed in October 2022, however, Abboud was never disciplined by the DOE over the incident, a source who knows Abboud told The Free Press.
The school held a “restorative justice” session to let faculty members express their feelings, but that appears to be the extent of any repercussions. It appears Abboud still works at the school.
PS 59 and the DOE declined to comment on the incident and her employment when contacted by The Post on Tuesday.
Last month, more than 200 parents signed a petition calling on the DOE to investigate Abboud’s “ongoing campaign against Jews,” citing her personal Instagram account that she uses “to promote hate and intolerance” with antisemitic rhetoric following Hams’ monstrous Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state.
Just two days after the Hamas attack, Abboud wrote: “we stand with those still tearing down border walls,” and “we show solidarity with those still fighting to free their stolen land.”
Her Instagram page, which boasts nearly 7,000 followers, is filled with Pro-Palestinian content, and even offers “teach-ins” about the history of Palestine, Zionism, and colonialism and how to discuss these sensitive topics with children.
“You are welcome to ask me questions to help you unlearn the anti-Palestinian and orientalist rhetoric we’ve all been taught,” she said in one post. “You are NOT welcome to attack me by falsely claiming my solidarity with Palestinians is antisemitic.”
A voicemail left on Abboud’s cell phone requesting comment was not returned.
Meanwhile, parents’ letters to PS 59’s principal went unanswered, prompting one parent to write to schools Chancellor David Banks and ask “how someone with so much proven hatred toward a specific population can be allowed to teach.”
“Schools and educators have a moral obligation to teach civility, understanding, and tolerance,” one concerned parent told The Post in November, requesting anonymity.
The DOE named Abboud one of 49 educators honored with a 2023-24 “Big Apple Award” for outstanding work — the highest honor for a city teacher.
“Her classroom is filled with vibrant cultural experiences that draw from her own Arab identity and the lives of her students and colleagues. Above all, she centers children’s agency and global consciousness,” the DOE wrote after announcing her award.
“As a liberation-inspired educator, Ms. Abboud raises societal expectations of the critical work of young children,” it continued.
Abboud is also the founder of online preschool program Allusio Academy, where she hosts live classes for kids costing $55 each and sells $75 consultation packets with resources and strategies for parents and teachers.