‘I hid the truth’: Pro-Palestinian activist Hanna Gann spent years claiming Palestinian, Black roots in US; finally admits she is White Jewish

A Philadelphia high school teacher and pro-Palestinian activist has acknowledged that she spent years misrepresenting her racial and ethnic background, at times presenting herself as Palestinian, Tunisian, and Black.Hanna Gann, who teaches at The Workshop School, admitted the deception after activists confronted her about her background during a meeting earlier this month, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.The Racial Justice Organising Committee (RJOC) and Philly Educators for Palestine (PEFP) said in a September 19 statement that Gann was questioned for more than an hour before acknowledging that she had lied. The groups said they had ended their association with her and called on her to publicly acknowledge that she is “a white woman of Jewish heritage and an Israeli settler family.Gann later addressed the allegations herself in a series of Instagram posts and a 10-minute video published on September 21.“I hid the truth or outright lied about my background to everyone in my life,” Gann said. She described herself as “a white woman of significant privilege and wealth” and said she had allowed “half-truths and obfuscations” to develop into lies.Gann had become known in Philadelphia for her activism in support of Palestinians and for mentoring disadvantaged Black students. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that she took part in a 2024 West Philadelphia teach-in focused on “scholasticide”, a term used to describe the destruction of educational infrastructure in Gaza. Her biography for the event described her as Palestinian American.She also supported Philadelphia teacher Keziah Ridgeway, who faced disciplinary action over private pro-Palestinian social media posts and later sued the school district, alleging anti-Islamic bias.Questions about her claimed background intensified after documents compiled by the Philly Palestine Coalition and reviewed by the Inquirer challenged some of the family history she had previously described.According to the newspaper, Gann had repeatedly referred to Palestinian relatives, including a grandfather she said was born in Palestine. Historical draft records and naturalisation documents examined by the coalition indicated that the grandfather was born in Baltimore.Gann had told people she was struggling financially because she was sending money to relatives in Palestine, and that some people subsequently gave her money.A former University of Pennsylvania classmate told the outlet that Gann had previously described herself in college as a white Jewish woman with family in the occupied West Bank. The classmate also alleged that Gann changed her appearance and manner of speaking after returning to Philadelphia from the Peace Corps in Rwanda.Gann did not dispute the broader allegations in her Instagram statement. She said she had concealed her background from people around her but maintained that her involvement in the causes she supported was genuine.“One of the most sickening aspects of facing what I’ve done is seeing the way that the blowback is falling on people, groups, communities and causes I genuinely care about,” she said.Gann also asked people not to treat her actions as evidence that other pro-Palestinian activists were acting dishonestly.“The fact that I lied about who I was does not mean anyone else who speaks up for Palestine is lying and does not erase the urgency of listening to voices on the ground,” she said.The two Philadelphia activist groups said Gann's actions had damaged trust among the communities and organisations with which she worked.“We are stunned, saddened and angered by the betrayal. We will no longer work with Hanna, and she will no longer be welcome at our organising spaces,” RJOC and PEFP said in their joint statement.The groups said they believed her conduct had harmed Palestinians whose identity and struggle had been appropriated, as well as members of the Black community, young people, organisers and organisations whose trust and resources had been used.The Philadelphia School District said it was aware of social media posts concerning a district employee and her involvement with an outside advocacy organisation.“The school district of Philadelphia is aware of social media posts concerning a district employee and her involvement with an outside advocacy organization,” a district spokesperson told the Guardian. “The posts reference the employee’s involvement in an external group. The district is making support available to The Workshop School staff and students, as needed.”You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.