LOWER GWYNEDD — A Lower Gwynedd Elementary School principal accused of making antisemitic remarks is being investigated by Wissahickon School District leadership who called for his termination, Superintendent Mwenyewe Dawan said Friday.
Dawan was joined by several school district officials when addressing members of the media on Friday afternoon, pushing the firing of Principal Philip Leddy, who allegedly left a voicemail for a parent that contained “antisemitic comments” and defamatory remarks.
Dawan stressed she was “shocked and sickened” when the call was confirmed to school district officials; however, officials did not disclose the message’s content.
“In the call, the principal can be heard making antisemitic comments and speaking disparagingly about the parent to another staff member who was in the office at the time,” Dawan said, addressing the matter in a letter to students and families Friday.
School district officials declined to comment on when the call took place, but said they “received a copy of a voicemail recording” on Friday morning.
“The principal self-reported to our administration that he had indeed left the message, thought the call had disconnected, and then continued talking,” Dawan said in a statement.
Leddy, who’s been the elementary school principal since September 2023, has been placed on administrative leave. School district officials “will be recommending immediate termination” at a hearing scheduled for Monday morning. The other employee, who was heard on the recording, Dawan identified as a staff member who was also placed on administrative leave.
“I recognize, and I know intimately the concerns that have been raised in our community from our Jewish families, our Jewish students, and the fact that an administrator in our district would make the remarks that were made on this call on this recording is beyond deeply concerning,” Dawan told reporters on Friday. “The fact that another staff member would be engaging in this conversation and not immediately disrupt it, not immediately push back on it raises concerns for me of a deeper issue that is systemic, and we have to root that out.”
Wissahickon School Board President Amy Ginsburg sought to “echo the deep concern and disappointment,” expressing apprehension for students and community members.
“They will need time to process [the] fact that a trusted adult, a member of our school community, who should have been a role model, behaved in a hateful manner and displayed such poor judgment and lack of respect,” Ginsburg said.
“Wissahickon is no place for hate. This is a community where all students are welcome, and where safety, and work, and well-being truly is our priority,” she said.
Dawan noted that a staffing plan is in place to temporarily fill the school leadership role, although it’s unclear who will serve in the interim. Dawan added that counselors will be available on Monday for students and staff.
“We are committed to developing a full action plan to address this issue and to promote repair and eventually healing across our school community,” Dawan said in a statement.
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A dozen clergy members were in attendance as Dawan emphasized the vital role the local faith community plays. Dawan underscored how they “can help us navigate such concerning incidents, such concerning times.”
Rabbi Kevin Lefkowitz, of Tiferet Bet Israel in Blue Bell, was among those present on Friday and said he heard the voicemail recording himself.
“I was appalled,” Lefkowitz told reporters following Friday’s press conference, adding ,“the way he said it, it got real quiet as if he knew he was saying something wrong.
“If you’re speaking that way in a one-on-one conversation where you don’t think you’re being recorded, you don’t know you’re leaving a voicemail, and you know you’re saying it quietly like that,” he continued. “No, I think he knew what he was saying was wrong.”
Dawan confirmed Friday that Leddy hadn’t “made comments like this before” or exhibited prior occasions of related misconduct.
“There have never been any concerns from this principal as it relates to such hateful remarks, and quite honestly, that’s what’s most alarming,” Dawan said. “The fact that this was an individual who by all other standards appears to be aligned with the mission, vision, the shared values of our district and this person would make such hateful remarks about members of our community, and clearly antisemitic hateful remarks, is what raises great concern for us.”
Lefkowitz agreed, adding, “for somebody who presents himself, and has been presented as one of the good ones, and runs a school for kids. He’s in charge of keeping our kids safe. For it to come out of his mouth so carelessly, so easily, boiled my blood.”
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Friday’s local development comes as instances of antisemitism have been on the rise globally. There were 9,354 anti-Semitic incidents reported across the U.S. in 2024, according to findings from the Anti-Defamation League.
Most recently, more than a dozen people were killed in a shooting in Bondi Beach, Australia, on the first night of Hanukkah, per media reports. Other noted instances include an arson attack at the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were in residence; the fatal shooting of two individuals outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., and an attack on Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, who were calling for the release of hostages in the Middle East.
“A comment like his, whether it’s a joke or not, it results in Jewish deaths,” Lefkowitz said. “There’s a correlation, and I’m not saying there’s a violence issue right now … I think there’s a concern, and a rise in antisemitism generally that leads to much more dangerous results for Jews.
“I study history, and I’ll tell you, I was hearing my history books talking,” Lefkowitz said. “And you look back, and you think about all the things people have done to Jews, it’s not done by evil individuals, usually. It’s usually done by the average person that participates in the mob that gets involved in the stream of antisemitism.”
Lefkowitz commended the district’s intentions for “immediate action termination” and partnerships with faith leaders, but stressed “more needs to be done from the district’s side” to foster a safer environment for children.
“These are students that are in danger of an antisemitic current, and I’d like to see tangible steps to root out what’s become a systemic problem,” Lefkowitz said.
Lefkowitz said he’d “like to see healing done for the kids,” paying attention to concerns, but stressed that pride shouldn’t diminish for Jewish students. As Friday marked the fifth night of Hanukkah, Lefkowitz said that Jewish students “should be proud to be Jews.”
“Hannukkah is not just a festival of lights. Hannukkah is about Jewish pride,” Lefkowitz said. “We light the menorahs ideally, traditionally we put them on the windowsill to show how proud we are to be Jews. We’re proud of our rituals, we’re proud of our holidays, we’re proud of our values, and I’m not going to let somebody like this put our menorah in the bathroom.”
