NYC teacher posts antisemitic meme of Lionel Messi
Her goal is hate.A New York City public schools teacher has been posting antisemitic memes on social media, including grotesque caricatures of Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi that echo Nazi propaganda depicting Jews as greedy and scheming.Park Slope Collegiate math teacher Maysa Jarara posted an image July 19 on Facebook under the name Maysa, showing a crying, groveling Messi with a super-sized nose, wearing a yarmulke as he rubs his hands together.“The look on his face is priceless,” Jarara captioned the photo, which resembles a despicable antisemitic internet meme called “The Happy Merchant.”Messi, who visited Israel as part of a “peace tour” in 2013, was the subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories during the World Cup, claiming that Jews control Fédération Internationale de Football Association, soccer’s regulatory body, and have worked behind the scenes to benefit his career, according to online antisemitism watchdog nonprofit Cyberwell.“Jarara has crossed a major line by trafficking in classic antisemitic tropes that cast Jews as greedy and scheming,” United Jewish Teachers President Moshe Spern said.
The Brooklyn math teacher also regularly reposts messages denigrating Israel, including one featuring the Israeli flag covered in blood.On the three-year anniversary of Hamas’ barbaric Oct.7, 2023 attacks, which killed over 1,200 Israelis, Jarara posted an illustration to Instagram of a keffiyeh-clad man dancing with a woman in a hijab in front of a burning pile.
“And we love life and we can live it in a way,” reads the caption.“This is deeply disturbing.We have a teacher who is entrusted with educating children publicly sharing inflammatory, biased, and historically misleading posts about Israel and the Jewish people,” New York City Public Schools Alliance President Karen Feldman said.
DOE schools have been plagued with antisemitism since the October 7 attacks, with numerous teachers being caught engaging in Jew hatred onli...