‘Palestinian Rachel Dolezal’: Philadelphia Activist Admits She Lied About Being Palestinian And Black

A Philadelphia activist spent years building a public persona around identities she apparently didn’t have, proving once again that even people obsessed with policing everyone else’s identity occasionally forget to check their own paperwork.

Hannah Gann, a teacher and prominent local anti-Israel activist, admitted this week that she is a white woman who had falsely portrayed herself as having Palestinian, Tunisian and Black heritage, according to the NY Post.

The confession came after fellow activists grew suspicious and confronted her. Gann acknowledged on Instagram – still public and looking like a treasure trove of social justice campaigns and advice on how to handle Covid – that she had been lying for years and described herself as a woman of considerable wealth and privilege. 

That was quite a departure from the identity she had cultivated publicly.

Gann had been presented as Palestinian American at activist events, talked about supposed relatives in Palestine and became active in Philadelphia’s pro-Palestinian movement.

The Post writes that former acquaintances remembered someone different. A University of Pennsylvania classmate told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Gann had previously been known as a white Jewish woman. The classmate alleged that after returning from Peace Corps service in Rwanda, Gann began darkening her appearance with makeup and adopting African American Vernacular English.

Members of the Racial Justice Organizing Committee and Philly Educators for Palestine eventually confronted Gann about inconsistencies in her story. The groups said she admitted the deception and later described themselves as stunned and angered by it.

There was apparently a financial angle, too. According to reporting cited by the New York Post, Gann solicited money while claiming financial hardship partly because she was helping relatives in Palestine.

Her actual upbringing appears considerably more comfortable. Her father is a tax attorney who previously worked for the Treasury Department, and the family lived in a Falls Church, Virginia home reportedly worth about $1.8 million.

Gann was also a vocal presence at anti-Israel demonstrations and had attracted attention from antisemitism watchdog groups over statements at protests and online. At one demonstration outside a Jewish bakery following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, she spoke in support of Palestinian resistance and urged demonstrators to take their movement into the streets.

In her confession, Gann acknowledged the fiction extended to friends, colleagues and even her own family, saying omissions and half truths eventually developed into outright lies.

Which is an impressive amount of commitment to the bit, even by modern activist standards.

The episode has inevitably drawn comparisons with Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP official revealed in 2015 to be white after presenting herself as Black for years, earning Gann the nickname the “Palestinian Rachel Dolezal.”

Gann teaches at the Workshop School in the Philadelphia School District. The district said it was aware of the controversy and was providing support to students and staff. Whether Gann will face disciplinary action remains unclear.

One commenter on her Instagram wrote: “This is really horrible . We just talked in early september and ya told me your family is palestinian and have suffered so much from this genocide. Im sad for my daughter who admired you deeply, the palestinian community directly impacted by this and the young people who looked up to you.”

Another quipped: “Omg we got Palestinian Rachel Dolezal before GTA6.”