Hannah Gann, Palestine activist and Philadelphia teacher outed as white and Jewish, from privileged Israeli family who had championed ‘left wing’ activism causes and who’d lied about her identity for years leading to her being dubbed Palestinian Rachel Dolezal. Outing leads to educator releasing statement and admitting even lying to her own family and obtaining funding on the basis of her alleged identity.
A ‘black,’ and ‘anti-Israel’ female activist has been dubbed the Palestinian Rachel Dolezal after it was revealed she is actually white, Jewish and who had lied about her purported identity for years.
Hannah Gann, a Philadelphia teacher, was forced to confess she was a ‘white woman of significant privilege and wealth’ after fellow ‘leftist’ activists grew suspicious of her background and confronted her.
Gann who teaches at the Workshop School, a project-based Philadelphia School District high school, had portrayed herself as a mixed-race woman with black and Palestinian heritage. In reality, she is white and Israeli.
Palestinian Rachel Dolezal outed as white, privileged Jewish woman
‘I lied about my identity and have been lying for years. I have no Palestinian or Tunisian heritage,’ Gann posted on Instagram.
‘I am a white woman of significant privilege and wealth. Anyone who supported me was manipulated and should not be judged as a result of their support for me,’ she continued.
Posted the fraudster: ‘The beginning of trying to tell the truth and take accountability. Far less than what is owed, but one step in a process that I will try my best to see through. All mistakes and deceptions are mine and mine alone. Please do not let them affect how you engage with any people, organizations, causes, or communities to which I was connected. Please reach out if you know me and want to have a direct conversation about how I hurt you. I will regret causing this hurt for the rest of my life.’
Active left wing activist and champion of Palestinian causes who hid her Israeli heritage and ties
Over the years, Gann was a known figure in left wing activism and vocal critic of Israel policy, including allegations of the Jewish state being an apartheid state and perpetrating a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
So zealous had Gann being with her opposition to Israel, the educator was once branded ‘Philadelphia’s Leading Antisemite’ on a mobile billboard parked outside the school where she worked.
One of Gann’s former classmates at the University of Pennsylvania said she was known in college as ‘a self-proclaimed white Jewish woman with family in the occupied West Bank,’ the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
‘I watched her sudden transformation after she returned to Philly from the Peace Corps [in Rwanda]. She was clearly making herself look darker using makeup and fake tan, and speaking using [African American Vernacular English],’ the classmate said.
Palestinian activist outed after ‘betraying’ left wing groups
In one video from December 2025, the activist teacher wears a keffiyeh and has a very different accent than in another video she posted on Instagram this week.
The pseudo activist frequently referenced family in Palestine, including a grandfather who was revealed to have been born in Baltimore, the Inquirer reported, citing a document compiled by the Philly Palestine Coalition (PPC).
Gann also received funding after claiming she was broke sending money to her relatives in Palestine, according to the PPC.
In reality, much of her family still lives in Israel. Gann was outed following a showdown with members of two local activist groups — the Racial Justice Organizing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine.
‘Members met with Hannah and questioned her about her background on Thursday and after an hour of discussion, Hannah finally admitted she lied,’ the groups told the Inquirer.
‘We asked her to publicly acknowledge that she is a white woman of Jewish heritage and an Israeli settler family,’ the organizations said, adding that they were ‘stunned, saddened and angered by this betrayal.’
Gann according to the Inquirer further admitted hiding her pro-Palestinian activism from her family in order to ‘keep living the lie.’
‘I hid the truth or outright lied about my background to everyone in my life,’ she said, adding that the deception included her own family.
Used fake identity for advantage
Gann further confessed that she ‘allowed half-truths and obfuscations to grow into outright lies’ because she ‘genuinely wanted to commit to the work I was doing.’
The outing has led to Gann being compared to Rachel Dolezal, the notorious former NAACP president who masqueraded as a black woman despite being white.
In the aftermath of the ‘betrayal’, the PPC released a statement saying, that Gann as ‘a teacher of predominately black youth, [Gann] has gained the trust of young people on the basis of a sense of shared oppression. She has served as a mentor to at least one young white person, who was manipulated by Hannah on the basis of a fake identity.’
Adding, ‘Her access to vulnerable young people, especially Black youth, is deeply concerning, given her pattern of lying and manipulation.’
In a since-deleted post, Gann further admitted stealing ‘resources from CAIR [the Council on American-Islamic Relations] and other movement orgs. I am so sorry for all the harm I have caused.’
It isn’t clear what disciplinary measures, if any, Gann will face from her employer at the school she works at.
The School District of Philadelphia responding to the fracas released a statement telling the nypost stating it was ‘aware of social media posts concerning a District employee and her involvement with an outside advocacy organization.’
Adding, ‘These 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.’
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