Former San Diego Teacher’s Video Sparks Antisemitism Accusations
A roughly two-minute-and-20-second video posted to social media by a former San Diego Unified School District substitute teacher has ignited controversy, with members of the Jewish community labeling its content as antisemitic. The video, featuring Nasreen Atassi, has drawn scrutiny for claims made in its final seconds regarding Israel and alleged organ harvesting.
The video begins with Atassi discussing her views on U.S. and Israeli military actions in Iran, framing them as part of a larger, pre-planned strategy. However, it is the concluding statements that have generated the most significant backlash.
“I believe that Israel is hijacking protests to do the same B.S. they’re always doing, which is stealing from people. And that includes everything from goods and services, all the way down to their livers and kidneys and eyeballs,” Atassi states in the video.
Atassi, a San Diego native, maintains she is not antisemitic, asserting she aims to expose what she perceives as hypocrisy. “I’m trying to draw attention to the hypocrisy of using Israel as some beacon of human rights. When, in fact, they’re involved in a genocide,” she explained. She further characterized her statements not as criticism of the Israeli government, but as “blatant, blood libel.”
The video, posted within the last month, was brought to the attention of Dar Halevy Feldman, a board member at the House of Israel in Balboa Park and head of the Faces of October 7th. Feldman explained the historical weight and danger of blood libel accusations.
“Jews were accused of using Christian blood for rituals. This is where it comes from. We’re over 300 years later, and we’re still dealing with the same stuff. We’re now being accused of stealing organs instead of stealing blood,” Feldman said.
Feldman and others subsequently alerted the San Diego Unified School District, expressing concerns about Atassi’s potential influence on students.
A District spokesperson confirmed that Atassi’s employment was terminated in June of last year, prior to the video’s release. Atassi stated she worked for the district for three years, serving as a substitute and special education teacher at multiple schools, including Roosevelt Middle School. She insists she kept her personal beliefs separate from her teaching.
“That is against the policy of the San Diego Unified School District,” Atassi said.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has noted a resurgence of longstanding accusations concerning Israeli organ harvesting following the October 7th Hamas attack. According to an article published by the ADL, in the 1990s, a forensic institute was found to have taken organs from corpses – including those of Israeli citizens and Palestinians – without obtaining family consent.
An Israeli state report determined that the institute ceased the practice of harvesting organs without permission, but the ADL acknowledges that narratives surrounding the incident continue to be amplified and exaggerated.
“My hope is that people seek to uncover the truth instead of being manipulated by our ideologies and political agendas,” Atassi stated, citing the ADL article and other sources as evidence supporting her claims.
However, members of the Jewish community emphasize the profound harm caused by blood libeling and similar accusations. The historical context of these claims, rooted in centuries of persecution, underscores the sensitivity and potential for inciting hatred.
The incident highlights the ongoing challenges of navigating complex geopolitical issues and the importance of responsible discourse, particularly in educational settings.
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