West Cook News

In response to an antisemitic flyer distributed at polling locations, Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRFHS) school board candidates Nate Mellman and Josh Gertz issued a joint statement condemning the flyer. 

OPRFHS serves a student population of over 3,200 students. 

After polls closed on April 1, Frederick Arkin (8,754 votes, 22.83%), Audrey Williams-Lee (9,209 votes, 24.02%), Kathleen Odell (9,618 votes, 25.09%) and Gertz (5,458 votes, 14.24%) finished in the top four slots for the the OPRFHS Board, while Mellman finished fifth with 5,299 votes (13.82%). 

However, the results of a write-in candidacy aimed at unseating Gertz have not been announced yet. 

The flyer, which labeled Mellman an “Israel-first Zionist fanatic” and included a distorted image of his face, attacked his past complaint accusing the school of allowing antisemitism. The flyer bore the logo of the Democratic Socialists of America West Cook chapter.

“We know that the antisemitic flyer that was being distributed at polls is at the forefront of many discussions,” a statement posted to the duo’s campaign website reads. “A few remarks on this: there’s nothing wrong with being a Zionist. If you believe there should be a State of Israel, you're a Zionist.”

The flyer, which contained offensive imagery and accusations against Mellman, specifically targeted his Jewish identity and his loyalty to the United States. Mellman, who has served nearly 30 years as a military officer and retired as a colonel, responded firmly to the accusations.

“Nate is a Social Security Administration judge who hears appeals for those who have had their disability claims denied at a lower administrative level of review,” the statement said. “Sometimes he affirms the denial; sometimes he overturns the denial. That's what a judge does – he makes decisions.”

The flyer implied that Mellman’s loyalty was divided between the United States and Israel, a claim that the candidates said plays into harmful stereotypes. 

“Accusing Nate, or any other Jew, of being more loyal to Israel than this country is a classic example of antisemitism,” the statement reads.

Another aspect of the flyer that the candidates found particularly troubling was a close-up image of Mellman’s face, which they argued exaggerated his features in an antisemitic manner. 

“The close up of Nate's nose is problematic. Yes, it's big. Again, though, it's an antisemitic caricature of a Jew,” they said.

Mellman and Gertz also rejected the broader message of the flyer. 

“We won’t delve into all the other falsehoods and examples of antisemitism in the flyer. But we will say that the flyer in its totality is antisemitic for the simple fact that we were running for a simple local school board, not Congress or president where our position on foreign policy would have been at issue,” they said. “We ran on the issues we did because those are the issues that mattered – for every child, every parent, and every citizen of Oak Park and River Forest.”

Both candidates expressed that the focus of their campaign has always been local issues and the betterment of the community, distancing themselves from the hateful rhetoric in the flyer. They also reaffirmed their commitment to fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate.

“Attacks on our identities and our character don’t deter us from our goal of improving the local education system for every child in Oak Park and River Forest,” they pair said.

The flyer was distributed at the polls on April 1 by the West Cook branch of the Democratic Socialists of America. 

The DSA’s West Cook Branch issued a statement ahead of the April 1 elections, urging voters to oppose Mellman and Gertz’s candidacy for the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 (OPRF) School Board. 

The DSA West Cook Branch announced in a campaign email that it opposed Mellman and Gertz’s joint candidacy for the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 School Board, characterizing them as part of a broader “authoritarian,” “right-wing” movement. 

DSA leaders “James N.” and “Jason K.," in the email, doubled down on their opposition to Mellman and Gertz, framing the race as part of a broader ideological battle over public education and democratic governance. 

The email also endorsed a progressive slate in the Oak Park Public Library trustee race—Annie Wilkinson, Colin Bird-Martinez, and Mika Yamamoto—while denouncing their opponents as “reactionaries” bent on limiting board power.

As part of the campaign, Mellman advocated for the removal of seven teachers who made pro-Palestinian statements on social media. Mellman filed a formal complaint citing social media posts by three educators that he says spread antisemitic misinformation and created a hostile environment for Jewish students. He also criticized the MENA student club for promoting violent imagery tied to the October 7 Hamas attack. 

Parents and community members at Oak Park-River Forest High School noted the incidents in a letter. 

“It’s hard to imagine a greater disruption to a school and adverse impact to a learning and work environment than what these three teachers and [the] club have caused," the letter reads.

Mellman declined an interview request from the West Cook News.