Her posts have drawn accusations of promoting hate.
A New York City public-school teacher is facing scrutiny over antisemitic social-media content, including grotesque depictions of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi that critics say invoke Nazi-era stereotypes portraying Jews as greedy and deceitful.
Maysa Jarara, a mathematics teacher at Park Slope Collegiate, shared an image on Facebook on July 19 under the name Maysa. The post showed a crying, kneeling Messi with an exaggerated nose, wearing a yarmulke and rubbing his hands together.
“The look on his face is priceless,” Jarara wrote in the caption. The image closely resembles “The Happy Merchant,” a widely condemned antisemitic internet meme.
Messi, who traveled to Israel in 2013 as part of a reported peace tour, has also been targeted by antisemitic conspiracy theories. During the World Cup, some online posts falsely alleged that Jews control FIFA, soccer’s governing body, and had secretly advanced Messi’s career, according to CyberWell, a nonprofit that monitors online antisemitism.
“Jarara has crossed a major line by trafficking in classic antisemitic tropes that cast Jews as greedy and scheming,” said Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers.
The Brooklyn teacher has also repeatedly shared posts attacking Israel, including one depicting the Israeli flag splattered with blood.
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On the three-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis, Jarara posted an Instagram illustration showing a man in a keffiyeh dancing with a woman wearing a hijab beside a burning pile. The caption read: “And we love life and we can live it in a way.”
“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,” said Karen Feldman, president of the New York City Public Schools Alliance.
New York City Department of Education schools have faced repeated antisemitism allegations since the Oct. 7 attacks, including cases involving teachers accused of sharing anti-Jewish content online.
Damian Neva, a history teacher at P.S. 77 in Park Slope, reportedly wrote “Long live Yahya Al-Sinwar” in a group chat with people advocating a boycott of Israeli products at the Park Slope Food Co-op, according to a lawsuit described as a major revelation.
George Trim, a Brooklyn social-studies teacher at IS 181, was reprimanded by the Department of Education after he was accused of hosting an antisemitic conspiracy podcast while wearing a tinfoil hat.
Thousands of Jewish families in New York City have reportedly moved their children out of public schools, citing concerns about anti-Israel messaging and what they describe as ideological bias in classrooms.
Jewish schools in New York City and across the state have experienced increased enrollment. A Teach Coalition study found that enrollment rose by approximately 3,100 students.
Public records show Jarara earned $140,000 in 2025. She could not be reached for comment.