Philadelphia public school teacher admits to lying about Palestinian, Tunisian heritage

Philadelphia public school teacher Hannah Gann admitted on Instagram to fabricating her Palestinian and Tunisian heritage. Gann, a 10th-grade history teacher at the Workshop School, stated, “I lied about my identity and have been lying for years. I have no Palestinian or Tunisian heritage.” She identified herself as “a white woman of significant privilege and wealth.” Her admission followed an hour-long discussion with members of the Racial Justice Ongoing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine, who had questioned her background. Gann had been listed as “Palestinian-American” in materials for a 2024 West Philadelphia teach-in on “scholasticide” in Gaza. The activist groups expressed being “stunned, saddened and angered by this betrayal” and requested she publicly acknowledge her actual Jewish heritage with family from Israel.