NYC Teacher Investigated for Alleged Praise of Hamas Leader

A New York City teacher is under investigation by education officials following accusations of praising Yahya al-Sinwar, the alleged architect of the October 7 Hamas attack, in a group chat. Damien Neva, 48, an educator at PS 77 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is accused of writing "Long live Yahya al-Sinwar" in a Signal group chat, according to a lawsuit cited by the New York Post. The October 7 attack resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and the kidnapping of over 250 people.

StopAntisemitism, an organization that posted the alleged messages, also accused Neva of sharing a crossed-out image of Israel and a post comparing Warsaw in 1944 to Palestine in 2024 on his social media. The lawsuit is reportedly connected to a dispute involving the Park Slope Food Coop, which had previously voted to ban Israeli goods, a decision that led to a lawsuit from a Jewish group.

Neva, who formerly worked as a fashion photographer and videographer for agencies like Next Management, Ford Models, and Calvin Klein, reportedly declined to comment when approached by a reporter, calling the police. Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, has called for Neva to be fired, stating that a teacher who views al-Sinwar as a hero is incomprehensible.

Yahya al-Sinwar, described as the "Butcher of Khan Younis," was reportedly killed on October 16, 2024, after being sought by Israeli forces for over a year. Israeli officials stated he emerged from an underground tunnel network where he had been hiding.