Who is Rita Lahoud? Brooklyn school teacher accused of removing Israel from World Map

A controversy has arisen at a public elementary school in Brooklyn, New York, where a world map displayed in a classroom showed all countries in the Middle East except for Israel, which was labeled as Palestine. The map, part of the Arab Culture Arts program at PS 261, is funded by Qatar Foundation International (QFI), a nonprofit wing of the Qatar Foundation.

The map, manufactured by the Arab education company Ruman, features Islamic landmarks and is labeled “Arab World.” It was posted in a classroom where Rita Lahoud, a teacher, gives lessons on Arab culture. However, the exclusion of Israel and the labeling of its territory as Palestine has sparked concerns and accusations of “Jewish erasure” and misinformation.

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Tova Plaut, an instructional coordinator and founder of the New York City Public Schools Alliance, criticized the map’s portrayal, emphasizing the potential of such representations to embed implicit biases in young children. QFI initially shared a photo of the map in a social media post, which was later deleted.

The New York City Department of Education and QFI have been contacted for comments on the matter, with the Department’s spokesman, Nathaniel Styer, responding that the map represents Arabic-speaking countries.

Who is Rita Lahoud?

Rita Lahoud, the teacher at the center of this controversy, is a Palestinian-American who moved to the Middle East at age 7, living in Palestine and Saudi Arabia. She teaches about Arab art and culture in Arabic at PS 261. In a November interview, Lahoud expressed her passion for educating students about Arab culture, highlighting its importance in today’s political and social climate. She emphasized the role of educational programs in changing perceptions and combating stereotypes.

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Lahoud’s approach to teaching, as well as the funding by QFI, has come under scrutiny. Between 2019 and 2022, QFI has donated over $1 million to the New York City Department of Education, partly funding dual-language Arabic programs at PS 261 and another school in Brooklyn. The allocation of these funds, especially in the context of the current incident, raises questions about the influence of external funding on educational content.