Teachers union head Randi Weingarten rejects congressman’s claim that she’s been silent on antisemitism

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks at a press conference at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan, May 23, 2024. Photo by Luke Tress

(JTA) — Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, fired back at claims from Republican Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan that she had “not said anything” about antisemitism.

The comments from Walberg came Tuesday morning during a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing titled “Unmasking Union Antisemitism.”

In his testimony, labor union historian Joseph McCartin listed a series of prominent Jewish union leaders, including Weingarten, who he said have “helped to build inclusive, multiracial, pluralistic unions that have fought for American workers of every race, religion and color over decades and into the present.”

Following his remarks, Walberg, who is chairman of the committee, said that the mention of Weingarten filled him with “ire,” alleging that she had been silent on the issue of antisemitism.

”Randi Weingarten has not said anything, anything, about antisemitism, so to raise her name raises my ire,” said Walberg during his remarks.

As the head of the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union, Weingarten has frequently been a target of Republican criticism. In August 2024, Weingarten fired back after Vice President J.D. Vance, then a senator from Ohio, was heard in a leaked 2021 audio clip accusing her of wanting to “brainwash and destroy the minds of children” despite not having “a single child.”

Weingarten is married to Sharon Kleinbaum, the retired senior rabbi of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a prominent LGBTQ+ synagogue in New York City, and describes herself as a “mother by marriage” to Kleinbaum’s two children.

Weingarten responded to Walberg Tuesday afternoon.

“Really @repwalberg? You think I — a Jewish American who has faced antisemitism and is married to a Rabbi — has never spoken out against antisemitism? The truth is, I consistently speak out against antisemitism. Here are just a few examples,” wrote Weingarten in a post on X.

In the ensuing series of posts, Weingarten listed over a dozen examples where she explicitly addressed antisemitism in her role as the AFT president, including an April webinar on antisemitism, several recent op-eds, and programmatic work with several Jewish and Israeli groups including Standing Together, J Street and Parents Circle-Family Forum.

Also on Tuesday, the AFT sent a letter to Walberg deriding him for his comments and listing examples of Weingarten’s statements addressing antisemitism.

“The sheer volume and duration of Ms. Weingarten’s statements condemning antisemitism make your comment at this morning’s hearing indefensible and incomprehensible,” the letter read.

The letter also called on Walberg to recuse himself from an investigation he has led into the alleged misuse of union funds for “personal benefit” by Weingarten.

“The statements are made more egregious by the fact that you are presiding over an investigation of Ms. Weingarten and the AFT, the contours of which are set forth in your August 17 letter,” the letter continued. “Given your reckless statements and your clear prejudice against Ms. Weingarten and the union she leads, we ask that you consider recusing yourself from that investigation.”

Tuesday’s hearing was called by Republicans to examine “the rise in antisemitism in unionized workplaces and the unions that defend these behaviors while forcing Jewish members to pay dues,” the committee wrote in a recap.