Wissahickon Principal Faces Termination After Antisemitic Comments on Voicemail

Wissahickon School District Superintendent Mwenyewe Dawan (Screenshot by JE staff)

By JE Staff

The principal of an elementary school north of Philadelphia is set to be fired after he was heard making antisemitic comments on the voicemail of a Jewish school parent.

In a message to families of Lower Gwynedd Elementary School, Mwenyewe Dawan, the superintendent of the Wissahickon School District, said she was recommending the immediate termination of the principal, not named in the message but widely identified in news reports as Philip Leddy.

In the voicemail, reported on by Philadelphia-area news stations and shared on social media, Leddy, talking to another school employee, is heard referring to a “Jew camp,” says the father he called has “Jew money” and says “they control the banks.” When the employee wonders if the father is a lawyer, Leddy says, “the odds probably are good.”
The remarks were made after Leddy returned a phone call to the father and did not realize he had failed to hang up.

In response to the remarks, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said it was “deeply disturbed” by the voicemail.

“What is most concerning is not only the language itself, but the mindset it reflects,” the Federation said in a statement. “The comments rely on well-known antisemitic stereotypes that reduce a parent to caricature and signal hostility rather than respect. For a family entrusting their child to a school community, hearing this kind of language, particularly from a principal, is profoundly unsettling.”

“No one promoting antisemitic rhetoric should be leading and teaching our children,” said Andrew Goretsky, Philadelphia regional director of the Anti-Defamation League. “ADL Philadelphia has worked with the Wissahickon School District over the years, and we are relieved that district is working quickly to address alleged antisemitic statements made by a school administrator.”

In her message, Dayan said the school district received a copy of the voicemail the morning of Dec. 19. She said the principal “self-reported” to the administration that he had left the voicemail.

“We are deeply concerned about the impact this will have on our school community, and in particular the Jewish members of our community, and we want to be strongly and immediately clear that antisemitism will not be tolerated,” Dayan said. “As Superintendent and an administrative team we are truly shocked and sickened that a school leader, trusted with the safety and well-being of students and staff, would speak this way.”

Leddy was placed on administrative leave by the school district ahead of a Dec. 22 hearing where he would be given a chance to explain his actions.

Dayan said the school employee  whom Leddy was speaking to “did not engage in antisemitic rhetoric or discussion, but did not appear to be alarmed or concerned by what had been said, and instead continued on with the conversation. That employee has been placed on paid administrative leave subject to further investigation and further due process.”

The voicemail follows other incidents where parents have complained of alleged antisemitic or anti-Israel viewpoints being expressed in the Wissahickon School District, which serves about 5,000 students in Ambler, Whitplain and Lower Gwynedd. In June, the school board eliminated a World Studies class at the Wissahickon Virtual Academy that critics said presented a one-sided, pro-Palestinian view of Israeli history. In November, Jewish parents brought attention to a booth at a school fair where students from a Muslim Student Association chapter placed a Palestinian flag at the table and offered other students the chance to wear a keffiyeh. One student at the booth wore a stole that bore the phrase, “Jerusalem is ours,” written in Arabic.

The Federation said that in the wake of the Leddy incident, it wants to see action on the part of the Wissahickon School District.

“Words spoken behind closed doors matter. When those words reflect bias, they erode trust and harm entire communities,” the Federation statement said.

In addition to accountability for Leddy and the other employee, the Federation said it wants to see an in-person meeting between the superintendent and local Jewish families so the school district can hear directly from the Jewish community, “acknowledge the harm done, and begin the necessary work of rebuilding trust. Open dialogue and responsiveness will be essential in this process.”

It said the Wissahickon School District must also “commit to meaningful, comprehensive, and sustained education on antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination.

Continued education must be available to all student-facing faculty and staff. … This work must be proactive and continuous, not limited to moments of crisis.”

“Jewish families want what all families want: to know that their children are respected, supported, and safe at school,” the Federation said. “Addressing this moment with clarity, care, and accountability is essential to restoring confidence and ensuring that every student can learn in an environment rooted in dignity and respect.”