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Advice

Resources on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

We have compiled several resources and curricula together to help educators engage with their students on this crucial and difficult topic.

The impacts of the war between Israel and Hamas, the terrible loss of Palestinian and Israeli life, the destruction of Gaza, and the continuing lack of a stable resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, have been deeply felt throughout our union. These are emotional and personal issues for our members, students, their families and their communities; issues that reach directly into American homes.

As a democratic union, we believe in engaging in respectful and informed dialogue so we can better understand each other. We have a responsibility to teach our students about what’s happening in the world and how to think critically about what they hear from all media sources and in society around them. We are also obligated to make schools safe places for all our students. We can only do so when we are equipped with knowledge, skills and support to navigate social issues.

In that spirit, we have compiled several resources and curricula together to help educators engage with their students on this crucial and difficult topic. We encourage all members to engage in respectful dialogue and condemn hate speech and discrimination of any kind. While there are many important and challenging global conflicts that matter to our members, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians often has particular social impacts in the US in its potential to empower Antisemitism, anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia, none of which have any place in our union.

A Note from the Task Force for Web Page Material on Conflict in the Middle East

The resources reflect diverse positions and are meant to aid our own members' learning pedagogy. We have tried to present a wide and representative range of resources and perspectives. However, this is a very partial listing of resources on a vast and easily politicized topic, and is not meant to be exhaustive.

Moreover, issues in the Middle East change rapidly, and it is unlikely that this modest resource can be updated to reflect the particulars of any current situation.

Importantly, the MTA is not endorsing the messages presented in these individual resources but rather – at the request of elected-member leaders – is attempting to provide pathways for educators to understand the various positions of those involved in the conflict. Each resource should be used thoughtfully, considering the source and the age of the students. Skilled educators and dedicated unionists curated these resources, drawing mainly on material already available in school districts, educational programs and mainstream media.

This is not a definitive list, and MTA members may submit additional items for consideration to [email protected] with the subject line: “Pedagogical resources.” MTA leaders and staff are assessing resources as part of an ongoing process to add and delete material.

Finally, the material here is specifically on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and not meant to be a broader set of materials on the Middle East, or biases against Jews, Arabs or Muslims, which are separate, if related, topics. Several resources related to Israel’s political and military engagements in the broader Middle East are included because of their possible relevance to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Virtually all the sites that house these materials periodically change, so some links may not work as originally intended. The MTA may occasionally revise the site in response to these changes and developments in our knowledge of the conflict.

This site has been revised by a task force created by the MTA Board of Directors in March 2025. The work of the task force was done in late 2025 and 2026.

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HOW TO TALK ABOUT THE CONFLICT AND SUPPORT STUDENTS

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
○ Fostering a Safe Learning Environment for All 
○ Resources Relative to Antisemitism and Societal Bias

National Education Association 
○ Supporting and Educating Migrant Refugee Children, NEA
○ Palestinian Students Thrive When They Feel Welcomed in Schools
○ Resources to Counter Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial

Learning for Justice
○ Understanding and Countering Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Schools 
○ School Climate Resources

Facing History & Ourselves
○ Antisemitism and Religious Intolerance Resources 

Common Sense Media
○ How to Talk with Kids About Violence, Crime, War and Tragedy

National Public Radio
○ How to Talk to Children About the Violence in Israel and Gaza

Education Week
 ○ How to Talk About the Israel-Hamas War: Resources for Educators

American Psychological Association 
○ Resilience in a Time of War: Tips for Parents and Teachers of Teens

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
 ○ Resources for Trauma-Informed Care/Systems for Schools

Ad Fontes Media
○ Interactive Media Bias Chart (This chart puts different media outlets in context based on their political leanings.)

Interactive Media Bias Chart

Authored by Ad Fontes Media, this chart puts different media outlets in context based on their political leanings.

Diverse Definitions of Relevant Terms

These definitions are from different sources with different perspectives. 

What is Zionism?

What is Palestinian Nationalism? 

What is Antisemitism?

What is Anti-Palestinian Bias?

What is Islamophobia?

BOOKS AND OTHER RESOURCES

This section contains diverse historical and political perspectives. The MTA recommends reading books to explore the topic more fully. The titles below are recommendations and grouped loosely by relevant age groups.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL

UPPER LEVEL HIGH SCHOOL

BOOKS WITH ISRAELI PERSPECTIVES
BOOKS WITH PALESTINIAN PERSPECTIVES

General, High School & University-level Books Recommended by MIT Faculty 

FILM & DOCUMENTARY COLLECTIONS 

These are collections of films and documentaries covering issues related to the conflict from diverse perspectives.

ARTICLES & RESOURCES WITH DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES 

RESOURCES FROM INSTITUTIONS AND GROUPS WORKING TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT

Perspectives

1

Former MTA president makes the case for members' rights to ‘discuss, debate, learn, teach and protest without fear of retribution’

Page: "I will defend every day the rights of my democratic union and its members to discuss, debate, learn, teach and protest without fear and retribution."
2

An educator on teaching about antisemitism and the Middle East conflict

When it comes to teaching history, neutrality does not exist.

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