PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A School District of Philadelphia teacher who claimed Palestinian and African ancestry is at the center of a scandal that has angered pro-Palestinian activists after it was revealed she is actually the white daughter of Israeli settlers.
In a social media post, Hannah Gann, veteran teacher at the Workshop School in West Philadelphia, admitted that she was lying and that she wasn’t of Palestinian and Tunisian descent. She is, she said, a white woman of “significant privilege and wealth.” Colleagues said she was descended from Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
“I hid the truth or outright lied about my background to everyone in my life,” Gann said. “There is not a single person on this planet, no friend, no fellow organizer, no one in my family, no professional connection, no secret op or handler who knew what I was doing.”
Earlier this month, Gann was confronted by members of the Philly Palestine Coalition and days later, by her former friend and fellow activist Keziah Ridgeway.
“I invited Hannah into my home with my family and other people from PEFP and we had a conversation, and she lied to me to my face,” she said.
“In 2023, Hannah went to Israel [and] Palestine. She came back and she met with me and she said that she had Palestinian-Jewish ancestry, and that she had Muslims in her family, and she also had Arabs in her family, and Jewish people in her family, and that the Jewish people were anti-Zionist.”
Philly Educators for Palestine issued a statement saying members “are stunned, saddened and angered” and will no longer work with Gann.
The school district said in a statement that it does not comment on personnel matters, but has made support available to the Workshop School staff and students.
Hannah Gann says she misled organizers from several pro-Palestinian groups
Hannah Gann says she misled organizers from several pro-Palestinian groups
