Hannah Gann, an activist who presented herself as a Black Palestinian campaigner, has apologized after acknowledging that she is a white Jewish woman.
Gann, 34, a teacher in the Philadelphia School District, became known as a prominent Palestinian-American activist who campaigned in the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
She was accused of darkening her skin with makeup, altering her accent and wearing keffiyeh scarves at demonstrations, where she spoke against racism and Zionism at protests across Philadelphia.
Gann has now acknowledged that she misrepresented her identity for years, describing herself as “a white woman of significant privilege and wealth” with family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Her background was first disclosed by the Racial Justice Organizing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine, two groups in which Gann had been a prominent member.
The organizations said members met with Gann last week and questioned her about her background. According to the groups, she “finally admitted” that she was a “white woman of Jewish heritage and an Israeli settler family.”
The groups said they were “stunned, saddened and angered by this betrayal” and confirmed that Gann had been permanently removed from their activist organizations.
Gann took to Instagram to apologize after her race-faking was exposed, admitting she ‘hid the truth or outright lied about my background to everyone in my life.’
Hannah Gann, who presented herself as a Black Palestinian campaigner, has apologized after being identified as a white Jewish woman
Gann, accused of darkening her skin and altering her accent while claiming to be a Palestinian-American activist, apologized on Instagram, saying she had “hid the truth or outright lied about my background to everyone in my life”
Gann has been compared to Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP leader who falsely claimed to be Black, and dubbed the “Palestinian Rachel Dolezal.”
In an apology video, Gann said she concealed her identity even from close friends while presenting herself as Palestinian to strengthen her standing in left-wing activist circles.
“There is not a single person on this planet, no friend, no fellow organizer, no one in my family, no professional connection, no secret op or handler who knew what I was doing,” she said.
“I hid my family’s background from everyone in Philly and also hid from the people in my own family what I was doing.”
Gann, who teaches at the Workshop School, a Philadelphia high school, had been active in pro-Palestinian protests and campaigns for years. She previously drew widespread attention online for a speech supporting Hamas after the October 7 terrorist attacks.
In the speech, the teacher endorsed violence against police, declared that “every martyr’s life is precious” and said: “When a Palestinian child picks up a rock or a slingshot in the face of Israeli tanks or machine guns, we owe them that same energy. We owe them to take it to these streets and f*** the police until Palestine is free.”
In 2024, Gann led a West Philadelphia “teach-in” about the destruction of schools in Gaza. Her biography for the event identified her as Palestinian-American, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The newspaper also reported that a memo compiled by the Philly Palestine Coalition found that Gann repeatedly referred to having family in Palestine during her activism, although her family actually lived in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The coalition’s report also said Gann frequently mentioned a Palestinian-born grandfather who was, in fact, born in Baltimore.
Gann had been active in pro-Palestinian campaigns and protests for years and previously went viral for a speech supporting Hamas after the October 7 terrorist attacks
Gann, a Philadelphia School District teacher, became known as a prominent Palestinian-American activist who campaigned against Israel after the October 7 terrorist attacks
Gann has now been revealed to have lied about her identity for years, as she admitted she is ‘a white woman of significant privilege and wealth’ who has family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank
Gann apologized to her followers after her true identity was exposed
Despite Gann’s extended family living in Israel, the woke activist had also begged people for cash donations because she claimed to be sending money to her ‘family in Palestine.’
A classmate of Gann’s at the University of Pennsylvania said when she was in college, Gann was a ‘self-proclaimed white Jewish woman with family in the occupied West Bank.’
The classmate said they ‘watched her sudden transformation after she returned to Philly from the Peace Corps’ in Rwanda, after which they said she dove head-first into her activism.
‘She was clearly making herself look darker using makeup and fake tan, and speaking using’ a different accent, the classmate told the PPC report.
The document added that Gann’s role as a teacher in Philadelphia sees her work with ‘predominantly black youth,’ and she ‘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,’ the group said.
‘Her access to vulnerable young people, especially Black youth, is deeply concerning, given her pattern of lying and manipulation.’
Gann has been dubbed the ‘Palestinian Rachel Dolezal’ as she has been likened to the notorious race-faker and former NAACP president (above) who lied about being black
Gann seen speaking at a protest in October 2024
Gann said she stood by her pro-Palestinian stance despite the humiliating exposure, and insisted her faking ‘does not mean anyone else who speaks up for Palestine is lying’
In her social media apology, Gann said she stood by her pro-Palestinian stance, and insisted her faking ‘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.’
‘This also extends to the genocide and humanitarian crisis in Sudan that far too many are ignoring, the genocide in Congo, the mortally urgent need to address ICE and police brutality here as well as the prison industrial complex, imminent Philly school closings, and more,’ she said.
‘It probably has little value to hear me say this, but please do not disengage from any of these vitally urgent causes or others you care about based off my dishonesty.’
A spokesperson for Gann’s school district told the Inquirer it was ‘aware of social media posts concerning a district employee and her involvement with an outside advocacy organization.’
The spokesperson said they could not comment on consequences for Gann, but said students were receiving support. ‘These posts reference the employee’s involvement in an external group,’ the spokesperson added.
