Published by J Weekly on 08/7/2025 Last fall, Lee Miller, a special education teacher at Aptos Middle School in San Francisco, checked his work email after class and suddenly felt sick to his stomach. United Educators of San Francisco, the teachers union that Miller belonged to, had emailed a flyer to members promoting an “international day of action” on Oct. 6, 2024. It stated: “One year of genocide, one year of resistance.” Behind the bold black and red text was an illustration of a person wearing a kaffiyeh across their face and holding a Palestinian flag. To Miller, who is Jewish, the image resembled that of a Hamas terrorist and the word “resistance” referenced the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre that targeted Israeli civilians, killing 1,200 and taking 251 as hostages. At the bottom of the flyer was a promotion: “Free massage for UESF members.” “It was so despicable,” Miller, 47, told J. in an interview Wednesday. When Miller contacted UESF leadership, believing the flyer was sent in error, he reached union vice president Frank Lara, who stood by it, Miller said. Shocked and infuriated, Miller demanded the return of his union dues. Miller shared with J. an email exchange that followed between him and Lara. “I said, ‘You were advertised as a teachers union … not a terrorist organization. I don’t want my money going to support this,’” Miller said. But Lara informed him that the $3,000 he’d paid the union since joining roughly two years prior, in September 2022, would not be returned. “And I said, ‘See you in court,’” Miller said. Miller meant it. In November 2024, he sued Lara and the UESF in small claims court. Last fall, Lee Miller, a special education teacher at Aptos Middle School in San Francisco, checked his work email after class and suddenly felt sick to his stomach. United Educators of San Francisco, the teachers union that Miller belonged to, had emailed a flyer to members promoting an “international day of action” on Oct. 6, 2024. It stated: “One year of genocide, one year of resistance.” Behind the bold black and red text was an illustration of a person wearing a kaffiyeh across their face and holding a Palestinian flag. To Miller, who is Jewish, the image resembled that of a Hamas terrorist and the word “resistance” referenced the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre that targeted Israeli civilians, killing 1,200 and taking 251 as hostages. At the bottom of the flyer was a promotion: “Free massage for UESF members.” “It was so despicable,” Miller, 47, told J. in an interview Wednesday. When Miller contacted UESF leadership, believing the flyer was sent in error, he reached union vice president Frank Lara, who stood by it, Miller said. Shocked and infuriated, Miller demanded the return of his union dues. Miller shared with J. an email exchange that followed between him and Lara. “I said, ‘You were advertised as a teachers union … not a terrorist organization. I don’t want my money going to support this,’” Miller said. But Lara informed him that the $3,000 he’d paid the union since joining roughly two years prior, in September 2022, would not be returned. “And I said, ‘See you in court,’” Miller said. Miller meant it. In November 2024, he sued Lara and the UESF in small claims court.