Facing History and Ourselves develops educational materials and curricula for K-12 educators. Although educators and school districts often point to Facing History and Ourselves as a progressive option for teaching about US history, in reality the organization's materials and curricula only provide a more progressive cover for the same harmful narratives that reinforce American racism and US empire, while also celebrating Israel and propagandizing for Zionism.
Materials and curricula Facing History and Ourselves offers on slavery, colonialism, and police brutality approach these institutions of mass violence as painful episodes within an otherwise positive project of American democracy (episodes which must be "faced"), without challenging or advocating for the dismantling of the fundamentally white supremacist and colonial character of the US state, US Empire, or the US-dominated global capitalist system, which these institutions exist and have existed to uphold.
Facing History and Ourselves encourages K-12 educators to use material which valorizes Israel and highlights the experiences of Israelis, while remaining generally silent on the experiences of Palestinians. A keyword search of the term "Palestine" on the organization's website yields only a couple documents which mention Palestinians at all, with the vast majority of search results detailing Jewish histories during the pre-1948 era (at which time Europeans and Zionist settlers still referred to historic Palestine as "Palestine"). When Facing History and Ourselves does provide content about Palestinians, the organization encourages K-12 educators to teach about the (so-called) "complexity" of the "conflict" between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians, refusing to acknowledge the stark power differentials that exist between Palestinians living under and resisting Israeli settlement and apartheid and Israeli settlers maintaining and materially benefiting from these conditions. In a May 2021 "Message for Educators on the Crisis in Israel and Palestine," for example, Facing History and Ourselves suggested that "to help you and your students understand the roots, causes, and impact of these events," K-12 educators should utilize three resources from the Council on Foreign Relations, the US Institute of Peace, and AllSides, all of which are pro-US and pro-Zionism. See also this analysis of Facing History and Ourselves' educational materials and curricula.
Tellingly, Facing History and Ourselves presented at a 2019 event hosted by AIPAC New England. AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is a pro-Israel organization focused on pressuring US elected officials to adopt and maintain pro-Israel positions. AIPAC holds considerable power in the US congress as well as state governments, through their use of lobbying, propaganda, and large political campaign donations. (See entry on AIPAC New England.) Moreover, AIPAC aligns itself with the most hawkish elements of the US security state. Facing History and Ourselves' collaboration with AIPAC (as well as their suggestion of resources from the Council on Foreign Relations, noted above) belies not only Facing History's Zionist politics, but also the shallowness of Facing History's stated commitment to "facing" or challenging American racism and US empire.
Facing History and Ourselves' strictly Zionist political orientation may be at least partially explained by the organization's funding sources and leadership. Boston hedge-fund billionaire and Zionist mega-donor Seth Klarman is a co-chair of Facing History and Ourselves' Board of Trustees. Seth Klarman along with his wife Beth Klarman also sit on Facing History's Leadership Council (Seth Klarman is Emeritus Chair of the Leadership Council). Meanwhile, the Klarman Family Foundation, which Seth and Beth Klarman fund and manage, donated a total of $22,865,663 to Facing History and Ourselves from fiscal years 2001-2019. In the years FY14 and FY15, $2 million of Klarman Family Foundation's donations to Facing History and Ourselves were explicitly earmarked to be used by Facing History "to strengthen the Jewish community and support a Jewish democratic state of Israel."
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From fiscal years 2007-2020, Combined Jewish Philanthropies funneled $2,345,059 from its donors to Facing History and Ourselves.
Cecilia ("Ceci") Chan, co-founder of "Storyfile," serves as a trustee and a member of the Leadership Council of Facing History and Ourselves. Chan also serves on the Dean's Council of Harvard Kennedy School, where Chan funds HKS programs and research. Chan also sponsored a 2021 panel hosted by HKS.
In 2019, AIPAC New England hosted Facing History and Ourselves to present at an AIPAC event in North Chelmsford, MA entitled "Exploring Contemporary Anti-Semitism."
Tracy Palandjian who is a member of the Harvard Corporation (effective July 1, 2022), previously chaired the Board of Facing History and Ourselves. Palandjian is still listed as a member of the Facing History and Ourselves Leadership Council. The Harvard Corporation is the ruling body of Harvard University, with fiduciary responsibility over the university's resources.
In fiscal years 2019 and 2020 alone, Fidelity Charitable funneled $1,751,778 from its donors into Facing History and Ourselves.
Kraft Family Philanthropies donated $50,250 to Facing History and Ourselves from FY04-FY08.
The Ruderman Family Foundation donated $8,400 to Facing History and Ourselves in FY04-FY05 & FY09.
Seth Klarman is Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Facing History and Ourselves. Seth Klarman along with his wife Beth Klarman sit on Facing History's Leadership Council (Seth Klarman is Emeritus Chair of the Leadership Council). Meanwhile, the Klarman Family Foundation has donated $22,865,663 to Facing History and Ourselves from FY01-19. In FY14 and FY15, $2 million of the Klarman Family Foundation's donations to Facing History and Ourselves were explicitly earmarked to be used by Facing History "to strengthen the Jewish community and support a Jewish democratic state of Israel."
The Susan and Barry Tatelman Foundation donated $4,000 to Facing History and Ourselves from FY11-FY18.