A week after taking office, the president of the Chicago Board of Education, Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson, resigned on Thursday amid backlash over social media posts from the past year. The posts were widely criticized by elected officials for being anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and promoting a conspiracy theory regarding the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed his disapproval, describing the posts as “not only hurtful but deeply disturbing.” The mayor revealed that he had requested Mr. Johnson’s resignation, emphasizing that such statements—anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and conspiratorial—are entirely unacceptable.

In a Friday interview, Mr. Johnson, 64, defended his record as a supporter of the Jewish community, citing his work with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization. “The people who have reacted the strongest are forgetting the work I’ve done in that community, and that’s a real shame,” he said. He also offered an apology, acknowledging that his comments “could have been tempered with language that is not meant to be seen or heard as anti-Semitic.”

The controversy began after The Jewish Insider published several screenshots from Mr. Johnson’s Facebook page. Among the posts, one from February compared Zionist Jews to Nazi Germans, while another from March invoked Nazi rhetoric in describing the Israeli government. Mr. Johnson also appeared to show support for Hamas in a March post, stating, “People have an absolute right to attack their oppressors by any means necessary!”

Mr. Johnson stood by his comments in the interview, arguing that he was advocating for the Palestinian cause. “Any leader who speaks out against Israel’s handling of the Palestinian issue will be labeled as anti-Semitic,” he remarked.

In addition to these posts, others from previous months drew attention, including one in which Mr. Johnson promoted a conspiracy theory about the 9/11 attacks, claiming it was “an inside job.” He also shared a controversial post in May about women earning money and its effects on family dynamics, which he later defended as an isolated comment.

By Friday morning, the posts in question had been removed from Mr. Johnson’s Facebook page.

Mr. Johnson had previously served as an economic development officer for the Baptist State Convention of Illinois and as a faculty member for the Lifeway Black Church Leadership and Family Conference. Following the emergence of the posts, many local leaders, including Debra Silverstein, the only Jewish member of the City Council, called for his resignation. A letter signed by 43 City Council members condemned his remarks and questioned the vetting process for his appointment, which they deemed a “failure of leadership and judgment.”

Governor JB Pritzker also expressed concerns over the screening process, reiterating that the leader of the school board must demonstrate “focused, inclusive, and steady leadership.”

In response to the widespread condemnation, Mr. Johnson resigned hours after the mayor’s announcement.