As a Jewish MAST alum who was attending the high school while this "incident" occurred, I would just like to say I have never felt more included in a school than I did there. I had a great group of friends, many of which were Jewish themselves. Not once did I feel like I was treated differently because of my faith.
While I don't necessarily condone the actions of the students, I truly feel this is being blown entirely out of proportion. I remember ed hearing about this when it first happened and it was not as big a deal as it was then as it is turning out to be now. I would just like everyone to take this with a grain of salt before they overreact and tarnish the good name of MAST.
I hope no one has decided not to attend this high school because of what happened and I want to let future Jewish students know that you will feel right at home there. I enjoyed my four years there and would not have wanted to go anywhere else. Thank you.
66
@Alex Boyce This is a big deal. MAST's name is tarnished and deserves to be. And you need to decide to stand with your fellow Jew, who has been bullied, rather than trying to blend in. What happened was despicable.
301
@Alex Boyce the fact that you personally were “included” doesn’t make their actions right or “incident” taken out of proportions. You are lucky not to be exposed to the antisemitism targeting you yet. When I was in high school there was a girl that was heavily bullied including physically because of her very stereotypical “Jewish” looks. There is nothing in my life that makes me feel more shame than the fact that I was silent about it and didn’t protect her because I was “accepted” and afraid. I am 47 now and still feel that.
318
@Alex Boyce This is not about you, this is about Paige who should have been protected. Your experience is not hers, there is no comparison and you do not get to decide the proportion of her pain and the effect it had on her life.
353
This is a direct result of the Democrat party diversity focus that divides us instead of uniting us. Long forgotten and dismissed is Martin Luther King’s quest for being judged on the content of ones character rather than color of ones skin.The real victims are of anti Semitic attacks not racial ones. Speak to Holocaust survivors , they will tell u this all too reminiscent of 1930’s Europe.
8
I think you meant the a Republican Party was dividing us, not the Democratic Party. After all, it’s the republicans guy, criminal trump, who is supportive of white nationalism, a term describing racists in America.
30
This is being blamed on Democrats? How about directing the blame where it belongs...to the one who resides in the White House? He has been making hate-filled rhetoric and behavior acceptable since he got elected.
25
An odd link to the Democrats for actions in a suburban military school ... actions clearly prompted by adults teaching their kids to judge by religious affiliation if not by race or gender as well.
11
Bias incidents are rising at unprecedented levels across the nation since Trump became the occupant of the Oval Office with the financial aid of one Sheldon Adelson! Trump dog whistles bigotry on a daily basis from Charlottesville to Monmouth County. Is it any wonder that Paige suffered such indignities? I empathize with her and the family, and hope our nation can rid this country of this Bigot-in-chief who normalizes such racism and anti-semitism to "make America great again."
73
@SGC Donald Trump is in no way responsible for this situation. Nor is he responsible for the so called "unprecedented levels across the nation." There has been a rise in hate and bias incidents, especially at colleges. But it is by the "progressives" against anyone who fails to meet their far left standards.
4
@SGC
I just have to wonder, are there Facebook or other posts out there calculated to cause this? If so , do they emanate from here or from abroad? The politics/ mechanics of polarizing hate seems to be becoming a low art, but with high visibility.
2
So many comments criticize Donald Trump. He is a handy excuse, not the cause. His daughter converted to Judaism with his support. He is not a perfect person and his style is not the quiet way many of us prefer but these problems would flourish with or without him. The school administration must accept responsibility here and in future provide true learning experiences for students- some Holocaust education perhaps- so it and its students grow and learn the most important lesson in life- we are all one.
8
What a horrible school and an even worse group of kids. The parents at this school should be ashamed that their children behaved like that to Paige.
But in the era of Trump, bigotry and cruelness are not only condoned, but encouraged and celebrated...
295
@JT
The parents are not only unashamed but are the likely source of their children's hateful attitudes. This stuff starts at home.
135
@mark brownstone I Completely agree. It is the parents of these ignorant children who are to blame. The school is merely a reflection of the vile community it is serving. Very sad.
28
@JT Well im glad you formed that opinion about us MAST students by meeting us, oh wait you didnt. You read a horribly skewed article that featured almost none of the interviews from many of my friends and only one side. The students of MAST are beyond exceptional and at the end of the day your empty words are meaningless
5
A question: where does this anti-Semitism originate? It wasn't Paige who caused it, she was the target of hateful slurs but it wasn't anything she did. So I wonder, where did the kids pick it up? Is it circulating among their parents?
2154
“From mother’s milk” my parents always said. You’ve gotta be carefully taught to hate, as the song goes.
284
@Michael O’Brien : One commonly hears "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," and that is often true. However, these days, you also have to factor in the internet.
208
@Rupert I Disagree. My son grew up on the internet and knew right from wrong when he saw it. I always gave him a frank answer when he had a question and taught him not to hurt others. It was simple and worked well. I don't know what the parents of these kids taught but it could not have been very thoughtful. I keep hearing this anti-PC talk lately (anti politically correct) as if the proper response to hate speech is it's just political talk It's not and there is no excuse for it.
288
Thanks. This is a bit convenient, however, since it's anti-Jewish stuff in what looks like a right-of-center school.
Where's the article on the anti-Jewish side of life in the left-of-center?
A kid from Paris I met in Israel twenty years ago had lost all his friends and his girl friend because he dared to suggest maybe what goes on between Moslems and Jews in Israel isn't just the fault of the Jews. He was in shock. He said his life in France was finished, and he didn't know where to go.
And it's worse now. I see it in my coworkers, mostly architects and engineers here in NYC, Democrats all, who now as a group distance themselves from the idea of Israel. They don't want to think about, in the words of Helen Thomas, how Jews should go back to Germany and Poland. I'd like to see one of these conscious-filled, two-sides-to-everything people fly to Warsaw and spend a week walking around wearing a Star of David. Or even in Paris or Amsterdam.
45
@Jake Leibowitz Well, people do that (wear skullcaps) around here in Warsaw and the vast majority of times nothing happens. You seem to be implying that it is a risky thing to do.
18
@Jake Leibowitz Anti Semitism and being against an apartheid policy of a state are two different things. Let's not conflate politics with a lack of respect for our fellows.
25
@Jake Leibowitz: Oh, be real, Jake. The existence of anti-semitism on the left (which is not how I would characterize what the entirety of problems in Europe) doesn't excuse anti-semitism on the right. Seems to me that the NYT has certainly covered anti-semitic incidents in Europe ... which has little to do with what happened at this local school.
15
What a horrible school AND a horrible community.
Nasty and hate-filled boys and nasty and ignorant community. Not a good combination.
642
@Laura what an ignorant statement to make. Generalize an entire community over the actions of two students, that sounds totally educated all right!
9
@Moon It may seem that @Laura's comment is hasty, but when I think of the way Paige was completely ostracized as a "snitch", I have to recognize there are deep problems with this group of people.
As Véronique of Princeton NJ said 3h ago
"The real scandal is how the entire class of kids felt that it was right to shun a person for speaking up instead of shunning the perpetrators. This speaks to a culture at the school that it thoroughly rotten, unwelcoming and non-inclusive at heart. Paige's parents are right to sue the school district."
Please put your self in Paige's shoes and imagine how impossible it was to escape in one piece, emotionally.
61
@Laura What surprises me is that neither Paige nor her parents seemed concerned about the fact that the 'elite' school, while public, has a small class size (70 per grade), a relationship with the military, AND is 90% white. OMG -- didn't the words 'white supremacy' come to mind to either Paige or her parents?!?
7
I'd bet my house that 95% of the parents of the boys and their friends are Trump supporters.
548
@Cowboy Marine
Probably, and trying to make America "great" again.
40
@Cowboy Marine
Problably, Monmouth country went heavily for Trump and he is very popular there, when you drive through you see a lot of Trump signs, MAGA signs, pickup trucks loaded with Trump stuff, etc.
31
@Cowboy Marine Well maybe not 95 percent. The actual reported numbers from 2016 is majority Trump: 10,198 votes for Trump, and 9,923 for Clinton.
https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2016/2016-gen-elect-presidential-results-monmouth.pdf
15
The elephant in the room to me is that younger people feel emboldened to hold these repulsive prejudices.
I am a teacher, newly retired, and can attest to the change that has gone hand in hand with the Trump phenomenon. I had to permanently remove a student from my class due to his aggressive, hateful behavior. He admired Hitler and spent his time trolling Third Reich websites.
When the other teachers wanted to excuse him because of his age, my response was that I don't humor fascism, nor should anyone.
We live in dangerous times - times when the lessons of history seem to be so far in the rear view mirror to the young people living in their smartphone universes that they fail to take those lessons seriously. The sad thing for me is that the adults in the room no longer understand these lessons.
4474
@SM2
I agree completely.
History is a lost subject in schools today. First there was Social Studies. Social media replaced both subjects. Neither is social nor teaching lessons of the past. Truth does not matter, the loudest lie wins, promoted by our president and our obsession with reality tv and celebrity news.
We make too many excuses for bad behavior. Everyone needs to be accountable.
Social media keeps people isolated and separate from actually seeing the results of hate and bigotry. It emboldens those who would otherwise not express themselves in such hateful manner. The issue, of course, is hate still exists but is not out in the open as it is today.
Think about violent video games and movies that anesthetize the viewer from real violence, death, etc. This is no different.
235
@ArtM Stop blaming social media. What about the parents? I am sure these boys are very emboldened by who their paretns admire and support.
293
@SM2 I too an recently retired after 50 years as a teacher. The level of ignorance out there is stunning and overwhelming. I used to have hope. Not so much anymore. The Know Nothings are in ascendence.
490
People reading "Mein Kampf"??? And that doesn't set off alarms?!? Good for Paige and her family for speaking out. That community is not a community; it's a shameful shame and it desperately needs educating. What kind of next generation is that school raising? May we spared such "graduates". Take the entire school on a trip to Auschwitz to see the results of "Mein Kampf".
435
@Irene
Well said! Paige is a hero!
20
@Irene What's even worse is that Mein Kampf was recommended reading by one of the teachers. That school should be closed to set an example for all other "educators" who think that behavior like this will be tolerated.
27
@Irene In 1966/67 I was in a HS Problems in Democracy class. I read Mein Kampf for a book report and am still friends with my Jewish college roommate. Just reading a book doesn't necessarily taint you. I became a librarian, not big on burning books either.
9
I taught high school for 30 years and witnessed zero anti-semitic bullying or offensive comments until 2016, the year I retired. A boy showed me a meme on his phone, a pile of ashes with the words, "Anne Frank's barbeque." 2016 is when the anti-semitic offences began. I think president Trump's words and actions sent a signal to those who were predisposed to hate and prejudice that it is okay now to express it. Good people on both sides, right?
88
German history tells us that narcissistic rulers can wreak havoc through inept leadership, and have a multiplier effect years and decades into the future. A young Adolf Hitler took lessons from Wilhelm II's reign and used an existing consolidation of power for his evil. These boys are two of many in our current population being educated by Trump on the ways to gain, use and abuse power.
Yes, I fear the potential of Trump bumbling us into a war, much as Wilhelm II did for Germany in 1914. But I'm more afraid of our future leaders taking lessons from him. These two boys are just two examples of likely many across the country. They are absorbing and may take to heart Trump's lessons of how to consolidate and use power, with the mindset described in this article: that anti-semitic hate is just a "joke".
30
Since when is it okay to insult Jews, even as a joke? And why that particular group? Why not another minority group or religion? Where does that come from? Is anyone bothering to find the root of the problem?
5
Nothing about this school is "excusable." "I h8 jews" is clearly anti-Semitism. If the young man posing beside this message is truly that "immature" (or that stupid) he shouldn't be in this supposedly advanced high school, and the prestigious colleges that opted to rescind those acceptance letters should be applauded; it's good to know that some institutions still have standards. The administration and faculty of Marine Academy of Science and Technology sound like idiots and should be ashamed of themselves. Paige, please move forward with your lawsuit. A school like this should be put out of business altogether.
11
Kids do stupid, heartless things and should be taken to task for them. If a person cannot feel respect or empathize others they should at least follow the social morals and laws of the country they live in.
That said, the current President has given permission to ignore them.
3
“There were a few...that would say things that were not ok but that doesn’t make the whole school bad...”
Sorry but you can’t post pictures like that then call it a bad joke then say you’re not anti Semitic. I don’t care how old you are. Maybe the parents need to be investigated, bigotry is a learned behavior and thus a generational problem.
“All it takes for evil to prosper is for good people to stand by and do nothing.”
Sorry MAST you don’t get passing grade on this test.
9
Trump
Russia
Republicans
Sowing seeds of hatred - bringing down our country.
Most effective.
2
What about the teacher who recommended Mein Kampf? Nothing in the story. Seems like a possible focal point for the infection.
4
Since every type of racial hatred is typically taught to children at home by their parents how about making teaching your children racism a hate crime?
Seriously, lock up parents who preach racism to their children or make them do community service in the racial community they preached hate for.
Maybe old dogs would learn new tricks and America could at least begin to address its racist culture.
2
The naivety of the school district is unbearable. And as usual Paige & her family were blamed, after all they are Jewish. Where have we heard this before, not only in Nazi Germany many years ago, but right in America, hearing criminal trump tell all of America that white nationalist Nazi followers were “very nice people”. Think about that when you go to vote...do you want of person of moral conscious or do you want a racist, and hopefully morality wins. Vote Democratic.
3
Fire every single antisemitic adult in the school who failed Paige and others. Then expel every single student who participated in antisemitism.
4
Any teacher who recommends "Mein Kampf" to their students as a "great book" should be dismissed immediately. If, as seems apparent, this teacher is still teaching, the schools entire administration should be dismissed as well.
5
Maybe that school could include lessons about WW2 and what went on, and how it started, insidiously in the late 20's/ early 30's, and by the time the Nazis were taking over, it was too late, people were fully indoctrinated and "The final solution" began!
Any school that has a teacher have their students read 'Mien Kampf" is a breeding ground for growing Nazi ideology. This school is just that because its teachers and administration allowed this antisemitism to flourish and grow. What is truly scary is that these are the elite of the community! They will become the leaders of tomorrow with no humanity in them.
6
First, my heart breaks for Paige and her family. The general outcome of this incident might have been very predictable, though. As a high school administer who spent years handling complaints about student to student harassment of all kinds, this kind of backlash is what I would try to avoid. Whether it was sexual harassment or bullying of any kind, students and parents often are just looking for "punishment," which often not only doesn't solve the problem but exacerbates it - as in this case.
There are numerous programs, such as "Restorative Justice" that seek to have the victim and perpetrator work out solutions. That may not always work, but at least these boys would have been forced to listen to how they were making another human being feel through their actions. If that were the approach, rather than the "punishment," it is more likely that at least some of her classmates might have been more likely to sympathize with and rally around Paige. It would be clear to even teenagers exactly who the real victim was.
3
The original incident is one thing. The history of insensitive jokes, perpetuated even by s faculty member regarding the pronunciation of the student's name is another but adds to the student's experience of feeling small and stunting her sense of safety and trust in being able to excel at the school. If things had ended with the suspension of the students, then yes, it would seem the offending students learned their lesson and hopefully their friends also. But it is not the fault of the victim here that things did not end. It is the fault of her fellow students who e ganged in a heart wrenching shunning and marginalization of someone who did not deserve it. Parents need to get this. They need to get inside this culture and make clear that their children are not to engage in this kind of scapegoating, not now, not ever. Teachers can only do do much but they also need to be very conscious of their biases, as students can smell them out a mile away. One whiff of bias from a teacher is a green light to immature students. I'm sorry that the young men were brought up short, but they and all of their classmates need to understand that bullying, in any form, will not be rewarded. All adolescents are by definition immature; why do some feel the impulse and license to engage in this behavior, while others would ne er go there? What's the differenc
5
When we are young we don't know the value of getting to know people who are different from us. Some of us learn that most of us are alike. I'm an old, retired white guy. People just like me are ok, but not nearly as interesting as people who are different.
In my central Florida high school in the 70's, it would have been inconceivable to treat a student this way, no matter race, religion or sexual preference. We didn't always all get along (half our school was 'bussed in, and not one of us, irrespective of race, liked it), but we all shared a common thread being young Americans trying to get through school. What happened? Have the tools of technology exposed these flawed characters, that perhaps were there all along, but were never expressed through social media? I hope not.
2
Charge minors as adults for bias crimes which should stem the flow of hatred, and force parents to be more accountable for the actions of their progeny.
3
I do not accept the idea of a "sarcastic joke" or a "joke" of any kind. If it is "sarcastic," it is cutting; what is funny about that? And if it is a "joke," who thinks it funny?
The claim that the use of any kind of defamatory language or gestures is a "joke" should be regarded as proof of malicious intent because the target never thinks it funny. The "jokers" never think of the effect of their joke--which is to say that they do not think of the target as (fully) human and do not care if they cause pain. The same goes for every fellow student and every student's parents who supports the jokers or the school. The crime of such jokes is that they are dehumanizing, in effect, a crime against humanity.
6
100 years ago women were given (after fighting for it) the right to vote. Who is teaching these teenagers (who are closer to being in the 20's) such hatred and bigotry? Anything they do or post will affect what schools they go to or what jobs they get or hopefully don't get. Employers and colleges check social media sites and even yearbooks to see what people have written. People will hire an ex-con before they hire somebody who exhibits bigotry, racism and any kind of hatred because that will be visible in the work place if you work with somebody who is a different race, religion or culture. These brats should be in jail for a few weeks in solitary. Paige, I wish you all the best with the rest of your life and you stay strong.
3
Quite simply anti-semitism, like racism and Old Glory are part of America's legacy. We will always have people who hold onto their prejudices. Let the psychiatrists explain their need to look down on people; their need to ridicule and belittle. It is up to those of us who know better to be respectful and supportive in these instances. Call out the bigotry and standby the unjustly persecuted. America 2020 may just as well be the 1940's in some respects. Sadly disappointing but not unexpected.
3
An elderly friend writes:
Years ago I entered a large state university where low tuition for state residents enabled me to work my way through with a part-time job and low-paying summer jobs. I signed up for Psychology 101, taught by a young Instructor who followed a brief survey of the history of Psychology with a lecture on Sigmund Freud. Freud, he said, was known for having people come to him and talk about themselves. With a smirk, he then added: "Trust one of those boys to charge money for it." Those words remain as if tattooed on my wrist. The incident took place less than a decade after the end of World War Two. At the time it didn't enter my mind to say anything about this - to him, to the University, to my family, to anyone. I dropped the course, stating that it wasn't what I had expected.
A friend of my age who lived in a different state was regularly chased home from school, trying to run while covering her ears to block out the loathsome epithets.
A late contemporary from a Jewish family was permanently scarred with shame of his father, a professor and scholar of German language and literature whose translations of German stories and novels were credited with saving German literature from oblivion, and who was remembered for insisting on the distinction between Germans and Nazis, a distinction lost on his son.
To those of us who lived through the 30's and 40's, today feels like a recurring nightmare.
2
When my son started 1st grade, he was enrolled, my ex-wife and I in agreement, in a private school in CT. Shortly thereafter, I also enrolled our son, with my ex's agreement, in a religious school in Westport. I picked him up at his day school, driving him to his 1st day at religious school, returning to pick him up. Driving through the synagogue exit, he said, "Daddy, do you know that the Jews killed Jesus?". I hit the brakes, stunned, my mind instantly recalling 4th grade in North Tarrytown, NY, when I walked back (still being safe for a kid to walk alone) to my Dad's hardware store, my Dad waiting at the door. I looked up, saying exactly the same sentence. I'm not certain what he did, but anti-Semitism followed all the way to 9th grade when my parents sent me to a military boarding school where I never heard an anti-Semitic word again. I was distraught over what was said to my son feeling nothing had changed since the '50s. I called the Rabbi, he said it would've happened sooner or later and probably best now. Looking back, it was true. Shortly thereafter, I remarried (his 1st-grade religious school teacher, who also taught in Weston, CT). I moved to Weston, and my ex-wife wanted our son in Weston schools. He enrolled, thrived, and that sentence became history. Weston and its one-road school district is excellent. Not perfect, no district is. But from the getgo in PreK-2, all Weston educators work hard to instill kindness, respect, community. It was a good move.
1
@Chris Madeira Thank you for your additional insights, Chris. I hope that you're right and that the school is as good today as you describe it. I am not sure that the teachers did NOT make anti-semitic remarks or praise Hitler, but will give you the benefit of the doubt.
But still, some facts are facts. Mr. Moore may have inadvertently outed Paige, but it was ultimately his mistake. He should have owned it. He clearly knew that Paige was being bullied and so did the teachers. The fact that they did so little to protect her sounds as if they felt that Paige needs to get a harsh lesson of life - if you, the victim, raise the fuss, you need to face the music. If you look at the details of the lawsuit, there is clearly so much more that the school could have done. So could have student parents, student body, etc. As Véronique from Princeton commented on March 4, "The real scandal is how the entire class of kids felt that it was right to shun a person for speaking up instead of shunning the perpetrators. This speaks to a culture at the school that is thoroughly rotten, unwelcoming and non-inclusive at heart." At heart, not on the surface.
As many comments point out, the fact that you are treated well does not mean that so is everyone else. Now that the bad publicity is out, the school will do everything it can to show how wonderful things are. Why weren't they so wonderful 2 years ago? I will keep my fingers crossed that the scandal will indeed lead to a permanent improvement.
5
I attended a school growing up with only 13 Jews, including myself, in a class of 250.
The anti semitism was blatant against us - especially the boys.
I was pushed down stairs - tapped on the shoulder, only to turn around to be slapped hard in the face - had my lunch pushed into my lap when I wasn’t forced to give it up. I would get severe stomach aches in the morning before school - afraid to go knowing what I would be facing.
I was afraid to tell anyone as I was threatened it could be much worse.
I feel for the student in the article - it’s very sad.
Religious bias is hurtful - I realized as a young boy it exists and is much more prevalent than I had realized.
It always made me aware that there are people in this world who hate - for religious beliefs, racial beliefs and sexual preference- just to name a few.
Unfortunately, it’s the world we live in.
I was glad to see action taken and all involved should be punished.
What happened to me as a young boy made me more tolerant of minorities, understanding what they’re going through.
There was only one African-American in my class - he and I became good friends.
Out of misery and hate came a bond that I cherish to this day.
My heart goes out to those whose lives are affected by hate - and hope we can continue to fight all types of bias in the world - as we are all human beings.
4
Replace “black or African American” for “Jew or Jewish” in this story. Would anything have been different or would different excuses and results ensued? I suspect that the boys and the school and community would have acted much differently.
Prejudice, intolerance, ignorance, and hate show up due to the same failings of parents, communities, educators, regardless of those targeted.
2
The idea that this school is training our future military forces to fight for justice and represent our country is horrendous! We should not be thinking of weaponizing people who express hatred and prejudice especially at such a young age! Call it silliness, jokes, immaturity...I call it breeding! The parents so busy defending their children should be reflecting on what they modeled for their children that created such dark impulses in them. As for the school, infiltrate it, observe it, evaluate it and then take the proper action.
2
Good move NYU and Cornell as the number of hate and bias incidents on collage campuses is appalling. Sad for those boys? No. Any school that opts to enroll these two men, be warned.:.past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior especially when the actors don’t see and acknowledge the wrong.
3
My heart breaks on a personal level for this young woman and her family. These were not "dumb jokes" and the kids, their parents, and the administrators know it. It infuriates me that they permitted it and worse to this day dismiss it as teenage misadventure. I hope Paige is able to return to school and live up to her promise. And the other students are able to understand and apologize for what they did.
2
" this community, which largely sided against Paige and her family..."
So what else is new? Expressions of racial or religious hatred are always "just harmless jokes" to the community that is not the target. The community that has not been victims of centuries of slavery and oppression, or of pogroms and the Holocaust. The community that "doesn't really mean anything by them."
1
Apples don’t fall far from trees, kids are reflecting what they hear at home.
1
Posting pictures of yourself next to a "I hate [fill-in-the-blank-with-your-targeted-demographic-of-choice]" isn't a "sarcastic joke." It's hateful, prejudicial, and wrong. Parents and lawyers who want their "children" to be forgiven for what they are calling a "kids will be kids" kind of mistake are doing their "children" a grave injustice. Sincere apologies and acts of atonement from the perpetrators, a category in which I include the school administrators and teachers, are in order. There is no excuse.
When can we actually enter the 21st century and get over these ridiculous prejudices? Who cares what color anyone's skin is, who they choose to love, what church or synagogue they go to? Knowing what we know, how can any of this still matter?
1
This story sickened me deeply. The idea that kids will be kids or boys will be boys is dead wrong. This was no mistake. This was not a one-off incident. The principal supported this horror, most likely afraid the parents in the community would send him packing. Imagine, he saw it as no big deal. He should be fired. The parents should be forced to attend a 6-month training on the Holocaust that should include a self-funded group trip with their children to Germany to explore the death camps, as well as visits with the brave veterans who are still alive who fought in WWII. The parents are an embarrassment to our society. And yes, their children will and should pay some price until they are taught better than what they learned in their homes.
So much for "elite" schools filled with those who are to take America into the future. I went to Stuyvesant HS in the 70s and we all got along. This would have never been tolerated. We came from all five boroughs, traveled the subways every day, were/are among the smartest of the smart, and when any threats arose (which they did regularly traveling the trains at that time) we stuck together, regardless of race, religion, or gender.
My apologies to Paige, her parents, and any and all who have been the target of such bad behavior and made to feeler this way. Please know, many of us are horrified and support you.
3
Where is the NJEA, the teachers' unions and others who are supposed to be against such egregious bullying??? Nowhere in the article is there mention of what they will do to insure the safety of the students who are the subject of such assault that Paige suffered.
2
I have a couple of questions:
1. The incident took place on a junior class trip, so we can assume faculty and/or chaperones were present. The boy drew seven 30-ft high letters in the sand. Nobody saw him doing this?
2. One of the girls in the group chat who received the photo submitted it to a faculty advisor for the yearbook cover shot. What was the advisor’s reaction? Did he/she think it was “just a joke?”
The 16-year old boy who did this knew exactly what he was doing. He knew there were Jewish students in the group chat who might take offense. The “joke” was not in the words themselves, but in the act of doing it and getting away with it. Therefore, it was deliberate and not just a youthful indiscretion. The school itself might not condone such behavior, but the actions/reactions of some of the faculty, administrators and many of the parents are what allowed the environment for this type of behavior to grow and be written off as, “Kids being kids.”
2
Close the school. With teachers who recommend "Main Kampf" as great reading, and a principal who suggests that the victim should essentially "stick with her own kind," this school is a disgrace. And their supposed efforts to protect the victim's privacy are laughable. Close the school. New Jersey taxpayers have better places to send their money.
The only good response to this situation came from Cornell and NYU. Encouraging to read that some schools "get it."
5
Racist #1 - our “leader”. What does that say about us as a people if he can get away with it without consequences, in fact with approbation by many. The national tone set by his words and actions is showing up with ever increasing frequency because of this. Shame on us for allowing it and any person who would defend it.
The community is 100% wrong. What was, and apparently is, being done by the students and their parents IS anti-semetic. It has to stop NOW.
2
Where was parental responsibility for value training in the home?
1
My daughter had a very similar experience at a public charter school in Western Massachusetts. There was even a rock painted with a swastika involved! I complained to the principal, who was Jewish, and his response was to call in the girl’s mother. When I asked him if the mother had been upset about her daughter’s behavior, he said “not at all”. He discouraged me from going to public authorities, and I have often wondered if I did the right thing by continuing to “handle” the situation through the school. The bullying did not stop, my daughter was miserable (borderline suicidal) and I’m sure nothing has changed there.
1
Reading this article sadly brought back painful memories of anti-Semitic bullying I endured during my senior year in the early 80s at a Central NJ public high school in an affluent town that is home to a world renowned University. The boys who bullied me had been friends before it started. But once we learned about the 1920s era gangster Hymie Weiss in US History class they started to call me that name— even though Weiss wasn’t Jewish. When I protested it only egged them on. What started as a “joke” quickly escalated. The more I said “Don’t call me that, it’s anti-Semitic” the more they found ways to bully me. They discovered the combination to my school locker and taped pictures of Hitler inside my locker. They drew blatantly Nazi propaganda pictures of “hook nosed Jews” on my desk in class. I was in a state of shock at first. It was difficult to comprehend and I kept it to myself though it took a serous toll on me just as I was preparing to go to college. Finally at a breaking point I told my Mother who despite my protests promptly called the school. Though the bullying stopped, the damage was done to me and my psyche and I was shunned by this group. It was a very challenging year. I commend Paige for her courage and conviction in dealing with this. I do hope she can use this painful experience to her benefit. I hope she will dedicate herself to fighting the scourge of racism. An experience like this while painful can make you more resilient and mentally stronger.
3
Two things are apparent in this article: one is that anti-semitism is alive and well in NJ, and the second is that racism is the worst basis for "jokes." If you ever think of making a racist joke, ask yourself if it would be funny if the joke was based on your own ethnic group, you will probably find that it isn't funny at all. I realize that teenagers test limits and boundaries, but there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed. Shame on these children, their families and this school. As my Jewish grandmother would say, feh, feh, I spit on them, feh! And then she would rant in Yiddish.
2
This is how it begins.
There are approximately 5-7 million Jewish people in the USA depending upon who is counting.
There are approximately 330 million people in the USA.
Explain once again, please, how 1.8% of the people in the country, about 1/3 of whom are under 18, are "TAKING OVER THE WORLD" and "RUINING EVERYTHING."
Are you saying that 5-7 million people are defeating 320 million people? Evidently most of the 320 million are cowards or something.
Obviously, this is ludicris. Evidently the same hate taught to Southerners from birth against black people is also taught to Christians from birth to hate Jewish people, even though most have never met a Jewish person.
Well, they do know JESUS, the most important JEWISH PERSON in their lives.
Evidently the "intelligence level" of the president is filtering down well.
2
Again, why hasn’t the Jewish community denounced Steven Miller's fascist policies to turn southern border refugees into a separate and distinct racialized group. Or, the caging of children and separation from their parents. What’s good for one group should be good for all. If everyone agrees that diminishing any group is disgusting, relativism shouldn’t be the metric for moral outrage. In addition, Ronald Lauder, owner of the cosmetics company Estée Lauder, and president of global Jewish organization’s is fundraising to re-elect Trump. Trump also just pardoned Michael Milken, one of the biggest thieves in the country who paid $600M penalty, went to a country club jail and got to keep billions of illicit money. What kind of country is this?
Respect and justice for me, but for thee? The young girl in question is not exactly Greta Thurnberg. In addition, Edward Blum is working hard to prevent African Americans from entering Ivy League schools. Where’s the Justice? Moral relativism leaves many in the country cold. You want to stop the hatred, behave morally.
I just saw J’Accuse, Roman Polanski’s sober and unshakable depiction of the Dreyfus Affair. The parallels with Paige’s story are chilling but unsurprising because the mechanics of scapegoating and Antisemitism never change. It never dies and it’s up to each one of us to fight it every single day. Stop it, point it out, educate and shame the perpetrators even if they are your friends, or colleagues, or “perfectly nice” ignorant, bigoted strangers.
I used to feel mortified and use self-deprecating humor when people told me things like “all Jews are greedy” and other canards. I’ve heard it all and from supposedly educated people in different parts of the world. The last straw was when someone told me that all the Jews that worked at the World Trade Center had warned each other not to come to work on 9/11. I chewed the head off the young woman who said this to me. Let me tell you, it feels better and it is more effective than feeling weak in the knees. When you hear it, stop it. It’s the only way to make people realize that what they are saying is egregious and unacceptable. Enough.
1
Bless you Paige.Those boys probably got their views from home . Shame on your cruelty. You all should get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness from a young lady who just want to attend a school to enhance her brilliant mind.
The principal, Mr. Moore told Paige not to worry about having no friends in the school. He said she should look for friends at her Synagogue... Most of the previous comments are blaming anti semitism and the awful ugliness that has risen in our country on the Internet/Social Media... not the parents of these cruel, hate filled teenagers. Actually, some teachers and at least the principal at this school are racist haters. One teacher recommended Mein Kampf as a good book to read. Others made fun of names, laughed at cruel comments.
36
@wepetes The girl’s parents should’ve thought her that what Steven Miller is doing is evil. Let’s not use a double standard for some parents and not others.
The "just a joke" idea is idiocy. If one thinks, "How would I feel if I was Jewish?" and heard this "joke" that implies support for someone who murdered 6 million of your religious or ethnic group, one will immediately understand. The concept of empathy, putting yourself in someone else's shoes, seems to have disappeared.
32
Why does this story remind me of Justice Kavanaugh?
14
I went to a fancy private school in Rumson, N.J. in the 70s. As a half- Italian, half- Irish girl I was completely ostracized for being "ethnic". There were at the time perhaps one or two Jewish students, one black student. I asked a recent student if the school still had that "fascist" vibe. Apparently, yes. I think this incident will rid us of the idea that prejudice is geographically limited to the South. We fixate on random un-pc politically beliefs, Halloween costumes and literature,,,while there is overt racism and antisemitism taking place. The Maoist PC stuff actually detracts from the seriousness of such blatant acts. This was an outrage and the kids, their parents and the administration all have to be penalized for collusion.
17
I am absolutely appalled on so many levels I don't know where to begin. If humans who have been on this earth for a mere 16 years demonstrate such a horror it is the adults in their life who are to blame. Judging by the way their parents, parents' friends and school personnel (admin and teachers) have responded it is no surprise. I'm pained for Paige and her family. I shudder to think that these guilty young people who've engaged is such disgust will be parents and go out further in this world without any enlightenment, apology and self-examination. This too is a virus.
27
It sounds to me like the two punks who started this whole thing got away with a slap on the wrist. Losing their admission to their universities a couple of years later is justice delayed. Bullying is a problem at all schools and it almost always revolves around focusing in on something different. When I was growing up, I certainly was the victim of bullying and saw it being done to others, often involving physical violence. None of this is alright or acceptable and schools should be doing more to address it aggressively. This school seems to have done virtually nothing and it deserves the blow to its reputation. Likewise, the desire of the students and parents to rally around the perpetrators says a great deal about the failures of the school. If its reputation has been tarnished, their disgusting behavior has a lot to do with it.
18
I am sorry Paige that you had to go through this but you are to be commended for standing up to these hate filled bullies. It is much easier to quietly take the abuse than it is to stand up and deal with the repercussions which often accompany doing the right thing.
Thank you Paige for doing this. You are certainly saving others from suffering a similar fate.
32
Perhaps one of the more disturbing elements of this disgusting episode comes from the attorney for the boy who sent the photo, Mr. Rescinio, who characterized the anti-Semitic words as “a tongue-in- cheek sarcastic joke”.
Yep, all thirty feet of it.
And of course, portrayed his client as the victim.
Really?
34
Exactly. I love how a girl who has been the target of antisemetic comments is “ruining” the lives of two boys over something they claim to be a “joke.”
1
If my child behaved as these students did, I would ask myself what did I fail to do as a parent. Yes, kids do stupid things regardless of what their parent says--mine gave herself a tattoo. But teaching your kids not to be racist or antisemitic is parenting 101, especially if you are educated. That your little nazi didn't get into their college of choice is the least of your problems. Grotesque actions should have consequences. They can always go to Trenton State.
19
The situation at this school is abnormal. Some of the teachers appear to be Nazis. The school should be closed.
29
According to Elizabeth Warren! “One of the hardest parts of this is all those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years. That’s going to be hard.” It WILL be hard if we continue to tell little girls that they deserve things in life, simply because of the sex they were born with. If, instead, we teach ALL children to be the very best they can, then they ALL will learn that performance, ability and courage is what can set them apart in life. Many men throughout history have failed for reasons that have nothing to do with them being males. Women should be no different. They too can sometimes fail and it may have nothing to do with being a female. Life is never that simple and believing it is, is not only unrealistic, but can also be damaging to their mental health and their future endeavors. Little girls growing up today have millions of successful women to look up to. Unlike older women, they are brought up in a world where there is very little that women are NOT capable of. Let THIS be the landscape that they grow up in, not the continuous bashing of ‘old white men’ or any other group.
3
@Malone Cooper: Great post, but wrong article.
1
Part of growing up is learning from your mistakes
Part of a good education is learning how to respect ourselves and others
This story describes the lack of interaction between parents, educators and students
Teachers cannot replace parents they
Parents should be working effectively with the school to help their kids prepare for adult hood
In this case the school, the kids and their families were minimizing unacceptable and insidious expressions of racism.
9
Sharon Otterman deftly and fairly looks into so many perspectives of this complex school behavior on the North Jersey short.
Most importantly, she brings out both the facts of Paige’s experience and different people’s opinions about it and also reveals the frequent tendency for people in the small town New Jersey milieu, down the shore and also in many other North Jersey venues, not only to inherit a pattern of discriminating but to discriminate and practice that discrimination against readily available targets.
It’s not new to New Jersey and sadly is still thriving.
7
“I’ve never beaten up a Jew with glasses and braces,” were the words of a high school classmate of mine. He along with several of his friends drove me to a forest preserve outside of Chicago in 1953 and he proceeded to beat me up. I was not seriously injured but I still remember those words clearly and can see his face today. They don’t get forgotten. In my case I was persuaded to go the police and file charges. Lawyers from the Anti-Defamation League got involved and supported me. All of the boys involved ended up being charged and tried in Juvenile Court. I was allowed to transfer to another high school with a more receptive environment. Punishment for “teen aged misdeeds” and support of the injured party is justified. Hatred must end.
42
My parents were first generation Jewish Americans. My mother grew up in Brighton Beach, which had a strong Jewish presence. My father grew up in the Bronx, in a mostly non-Jewish neighborhood. Anti-semitism was a common occurrence for him and it colored his views for the rest of his life. He didn’t want his children to have ethnic sounding (Jewish) names, for example. He was proud to be a Jew but didn’t want to advertise it either. My sister and I grew up on Long Island, in a nice neighborhood with a good school district. There was a nice mix or ethnicities, although it was predominantly white. I did not grow up experiencing anti-semitism. I learned about it from newspaper articles, stories about the Holocaust, etc. In my mind, we as a nation had grown past the experience of my father’s childhood — or at least I thought so living in the metro New York area. Now I realize that anti-semitism has never gone away, it just went “underground” for a while. The internet, as well as the current political environment, has emboldened people to say and do things that formally they would have kept to themselves. Or, as Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has said, anti-semitism is like an underground stream. If you poke a few holes in the ground, it bubbles up to the surface.
24
No surprise at all. It’s always been there (I have the misfortune to know the community) and - as with so many other hate crimes - has been enabled by TrumpWorld. No, you can’t blame Trump for anti-Semitism, but you can for creating the hateful environments that spawned this incident - and so many others.
The community’s failure to own up to how poorly they raised these entitled children - including parents from elsewhere - is, again, unsurprising. Indeed, it is their way of telling their errant children that it’s ok to hate Jews.
That it detailed the two teenagers’ college aspirations seems appropriate - that may be the least of their problems depending upon the findings of the investigation.
We’ll see where it all goes. I’m going to ask ProPublica to take a look as this is the tip of the iceberg. It also is clear school administration needs a clean sweep out the door instead of the feckless people in place now. They well knew of the anti-Semitism and consciously chose to look the other way.
Thanks to the NYT for shining a light upon both the anti-Semitism and a community with a largely absent moral backbone.
31
@Lars You state that "the actions of the offending students do not reflect the student body as a whole". What was the student body up to when Paige was bullied? Who in the student body stood up for her? Did you? Any of your friends? How many of your upperclassmen? Any of the parents you know? Did the student body apologize to Paige and her parents when she was in school? After she left the school? How about the Parent Teacher Association?
At least you had the decency to apologize. It sounds like the rest of the school has been at best indifferent observers. Hardly a body "expected to uphold honor, character, and altruism to all people".
20
This school and school district still don't comply with state law that requires them to have links to their HIB policies on the home pages of their websites. How serious are they about eradicating harassment, intimidation and bullying if they won't do the most basic steps?
12
I find it extremely difficult to believe that 16 year-olds do not know that anti-Semitism (racism, bullying, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, the list goes on) is not a joke. I find it extremely disturbing that the community would close ranks around the offenders and ostracize the young woman who spoke up. It is emblematic of our times that it was and is all dismissed as a "silly joke" and the victims are ignored at best, usually hurt more and longer, instead of receiving support and redress. I cannot understand why there was no call for education and continuing discussion of what makes anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry so insidious and dangerous. The complicity is mind-boggling. We have our work cut out to not allow any of this to reach proportions which should terrify us all, as recent history was witness. When we say "never again," we should most emphatically make it "never again."
18
@Chris Madeira When you say "we do not foster an environment of antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry", who do you have in mind? Your friends at MAST? The students you know? It seems that Paige's classmates exhibited bigotry and vicious bullying. Are you saying that all of these classmates happened to be very different from the rest of the school? Do you expect anyone to believe you?
And it's more than her classmates. What about the teachers who made anti-semitic remarks or those who deliberately failed to protect Paige? What about the principal who tried to play things down and ended up on the side of the bullies instead of their victim? And what about MAST community that did the same?
Sorry but your claim sounds very hollow. It sounds like MAST culture is very rotten from the principal down.
26
@Alex My friend, my claim is not hollow, I can assure you. MAST culture is not rotten or anti-semitic, it was only a small group of idiots who did these hateful things. You should not let a tiny group of bad kids ruin the reputation of a great school. None of my friends or even anyone I know at this school is hateful, an anti-semite, or a bigot and we are reminded on a day to day basis that this school is a safe place for all people. No teachers made anti-semitic remarks or praised Hitler, that is misinformation. Mr. Moore did not side with the bullies either. The bullies were suspended, had their college acceptances rescinded, and he sent the classes to see speakers who advocated for change and peace. I can tell you when I am at MAST, I feel safe and comfortable. I do expect people to believe me, as I am a MAST student, so my testimony should be reliable. Overall, please don't belive that MAST is a community of anti-semites and bigots. It was only a group of bad kids who are gone now, MAST promotes acceptance of all regardless of your beliefs. The students today have no affiliation with any of the bullies as well.
4
Nobody is highlighted for pointing outthat the article states that there was a 55% increase in racist incidents from 2016 after a prior decline.
Trump. MAGA.
14
I was the second Jewish student to ever attend schools in my town and the first to be valedictorian, though I was denied a valedictory speech. Over 50 years later, I well remember the slights, the lack of invitations to childhood birthday parties and the day my mother's store was shut down because we were Jewish (as were the stores of other local Jews). Perhaps worse of all in some ways, I often didn't know if the slight was personal or religious. It's way past time for this ugliness to stop, but instead anti-Semitism is on the rise.
33
Public school teachers who openly recommend "Mein Kampf" to their students or connive at pro Nazi themed student jokes should be fired. That's not rocket science.
Whether such measures would fix the overall atmosphere is problematic, but schools have to start somewhere. Like understanding that they are not working for Goebbels. Did I really have to write that?
33
I'd like to know if the two teachers involved in the incident her freshman year have received any discipline/counseling/retraining?
21
I can’t stand when people blame those who report harassment against them for “ruining their lives” when they receive consequences. Paige reporting the abuse she received didn’t lead to those students having their admissions rejected. Their actions did. Cornell and NYU decided, in my opinion rightfully, that they didn’t want perpetrators of anti-Semitic harassment to attend their school. That’s on the kids.
27
@Kiana
People often engage in blame the victim behavior. There are examples everywhere if you just listen. It deflects from the person's own bad behavior. You may not remember when Robert Chambers killed Jennifer Levin. That was more than thirty years ago during rough sex he alleged. Her fault. He outweighed her and was about double her height but it was her fault. When women are raped, people used to ask what she was wearing at the time. Her fault. Look at Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh. Victims of the President. All the victims fault. You never blame the victim is a mantra people should repeat to themselves often. Gold chain stealing on the NYC subways. Ripped right off your neck. Your fault for wearing a gold chain. Phone stolen, your fault for having it out and being distracted. There are thousands of examples of blaming the victim. It is not new. Construction workers catcall after women. Your fault for looking so good and committing the crime of walking down the street. Victim blaming is ingrained. Very sad but it can be part of consciousness raising we need to do. Maybe then, a woman will be elected President too. Truly judge by the content of a persons character, simple words to live by.
1
For me the issue is of minimizing the means of bullying, anti-Semitism, and bullying through a number of events that occur over time to hurt, harass, and humiliate a victim who has little means or power to fight back. I'm glad the boys lost their first choice of college, because they traumatized a girl because of her religion and culture. She wasn't able to attend her first choice of college because of their behavior. We've already got a bully in the White House and on the Supreme Court, so perhaps the young and entitled feel it's okay to bully others. It's not.
18
As a MAST attendee, I must explain that the behavior displayed by the students in this article is in direct opposition to the values and ideals of the school. MAST embraces a Non-Discrimination Clause along with the other Monmouth County Vocational School District Schools. Students at MAST are expected to uphold honor, character, and altruism to all people despite differences in race, religion, sexual orientation, etc., and violations of these values are not acceptable. It is very important that we, as a community, embrace and respect each other. I can and will confirm the positive intentions of the MAST faculty. Through my own experience, MAST is a safe environment, with all the tools to succeed and help around every corner. I understand any skepticism, but please know that the actions of the offending students do not reflect the student body as a whole and it is hurtful and invalid to make this assumption. I would like to conclude this message with my sincere empathy to Miss. P.W. for the pain she endured.
9
@Lars
I would also like to point out that the students involved in the incident are graduated. Every student who currently attends the school has no affiliation with the event. Therefore, targeting the student body now is unprecedented. We are genuinely upset over the situation and feel it is unfair to judge us based on the actions of certain people. This issue is specific to certain individuals, and it is made clear by the principal and teachers that discrimination is severely immoral. I ask of you all to look at the big picture and understand that we as a community make it a priority to be inclusive to everyone. Take this from a primary perspective. I hope as many people as possible can understand this.
3
The callousness, ugliness, and cruelty of the students were outdone by the wholesale absence of empathy, professionalism, and common decency displayed by their teachers and administrators. The school deserves its shredded reputation.
I greatly hope the young woman who was so terribly ill-treated and her family find both peace and justice.
972
@Allen I hope the school is sued out of existence. If common decency and common sense aren't enough to discourage administrators from condoning bigoted behavior, perhaps massive financial ramifications will.
69
@Allen MAST is not a school of anti-semites or bigots, as a MAST attendee, I can guarantee this. This incident was caused by a small group of idiots who have been gone for some time now. When I am at MAST, I feel both safe and comfortable and we are reminded regularly that this school is a safe place for people of all beliefs. Don't let a tiny group of rotten kids ruin the reputation of a great school.
6
@Chris Madeira I certainly would not feel safe and comfortable if a "teacher" decided to pronounce the last name, Giufre, as "Jewfrey", and saying it laughingly. Maybe this is the new normal in education.
19
There is so much wrong here I can barely contain myself. First, hiding behind the "kids do stupid things" thing is ridiculous. They are not 8 years old...they are 16 and 17 and they knew what they were doing. Second, it seems that the entire school ganged up on this kid...only because she was trying to protect herself. Third, and I think most importantly, it seems that some of the teachers are okay with it. I mean who says Mein Kampf is a good book unless you have strong anti-semitic feelings? This school should be closed down.
2938
@Vegalta#9
No, the teacher agrees with the book and Hitler. That is the reason he recommended it. If he'd had any of the benign reasons you mentioned there would have been more discussion during the recommendation.
178
@Vegalta#9 I have, and have read, a copy of Mao’s little red book. Interesting for being a list of one-liners about how to run an insurgency. Otherwise pretty bland. I also have, and occasionally re-read, a copy of “Quotations of Chairman LBJ.” I laugh every time. (I did not much like LBJ at the time, but he is now my favorite President.)
24
@SM Reading 'My Kampf' in general is not wrong. As part of understanding the motivation of Hitler in the historic context it makes sense. To declare it a great book, however, shows the teacher either has not read it, didn't understand it, or has no sense for literature. While the content is gruesome, the style is unbearable. I tried to read it in German (native speaker) and gave up soon. It is unreadable and I doubt many people who own a copy have ever made it through or even started. More like the owners wanted to show they belong - same with Mao's book or other ideologically motivated books.
118
I am an ex-MAST student who decided to leave the school halfway through freshman year, last year. I am not surprised that an incident like this could occur here. These students share many similarities including that they think everything they do or say is a joke, and yes...Even anti-semitism. I have no doubt that these students who are accused of these terrible crimes do not really believe in racial hatred and ideas along that line. In a small school like this, or even any highschool, teens will do dumb things for attention. If one of them tells a Nazi-related joke and others laugh, they will do it again.
126
@Luciano Alfano
What is acceptable behaviour, or acceptable thinking.... ? It comes from the adults around the children. The school. Their parents. The President of the United States.
Yes, kids can be stupid. But they learn hate. because they hear it around them.
What they "really believe" has been formed by those adults around them.
11
@Luciano Alfano
And this is why teachers and administrators - good ones, that is - are vital to any education community. When those in charge are not worthy of the title, "role model," what are the students really going to learn? Mein Kampf is good reading? Mocking students' names is perfectly okay? Kids are "just kidding around" ? Really? Perhaps the best course for this high school is .... shutting it down altogether!
13
It was just a joke? Let me help you, you poor, clueless folks in NJ. Every one of you knows the problem. You think because you didn't drop a more obvious racial slur or more blatant hate speech you can just try to weasel and get out from under it. No. This IS hate speech. You ARE racist thugs. You deserve far worse than you are experiencing now. I hope this follows you all the rest of your lives. There are consequences for bad behavior. And now you all know it.
Paige, I am so sorry you have lived through this. I wish all the goodwill here could give you back some of what this has taken from you. I wish you all the best and for an outcome that insists on the school addressing what it has done wrong on the legal front.
19
It's odd this article makes no mention of the recent Jersey City massacre. You had people celebrating in front of where it happened. And a Board of Education member openly praised the gunmen and villified Jews in the aftermath. She is still on the Board of Education and has gotten much support. As is usually the case, very clear and proveable anti-Semitism is ignored when it fcomes from the progressives favored demographics.
16
"It's just a joke" is every coward's deflection .
Trolls on 4Chan and Reddit used that line to get the Alt-Right movement going and it was remarkably effective. Disgusting and transgressive posts would be met with outrage and anger and the response was "it's just a joke, LOL". That opened the floodgates so more and more people felt free to spew hate.
Rinse/Repeat
14
So what do you think about Dave Chappelle and other obvious left leaning comedians who joke about racism, anti semitism, etc are they cowards for telling jokes when they’re obviously left leaning
Why are we always blaming the victim? These teenage boys do not show any depth of understanding why their actions are truly wrong. This is not just a silly teenage prank, continually invoking anti-semitism, racism, or blatantly using other groups as the butt of a joke is not an innocent prank. If the boys are so concerned about having their acceptance to Cornell and NYU rescinded and feel that this is ruining their lives then perhaps taking actions that truly show remorse could change the trajectory of their lives. Imagine if they showed deep understanding by volunteering to aid holocaust survivors or help out at a synagogue.
Furthermore, why doesn't the article address what happened to the teachers who were suggesting students read Mein Kampf?! Why do the students even have copies of this book and why are they openly reading this in the hallways with out a teacher doing something? Clearly this school has a deep problem if teachers are standing idly by while students are becoming more entrenched in antisemitic beliefs. Continuing to invoke antisemitism even after the incident with the "hope / adolf" rock shows just how deep this problem runs. The entire school district should be concerned for their future of all of their students, not just the rescinding of acceptance to college for two boys.
16
I’m not that far removed from high school, and, in my opinion, this is an extremely mild form of bullying. Teens are vicious.
3
I grew up in NJ not far from Sandy Hook, & combed those beaches countless times for starfish. I served in the military, & come from a long line of those who have served. I am appalled and disgusted by the lack of recognition by Mr. Moore, the Dept of Education, and the Navy ROTC program of the seriousness of these events. Paige and her family did not "blow things out of proportion"- they rightly recognized the underlying anti-semitism around them. These were not jokes or pranks- these are actions of hatred, fear, loathing, and cowardice. The Holocaust & other ethnic cleansing atrocities often saw their roots in seemingly innocuous comments and jokes that spread & became normative & accepted. Such ideas are born & nurtured in the home and by leaders- the very fact that Paige and her family were not buttressed by the other students, parents, the school, or the community is a both a travesty and a severe indictment of the moral fabric of that community, school, and the military that supports it. There seems to be an ever-growing tolerance for not just anti-semitism but racism and other bias-driven hate in many settings these days. If not addressed fervently, such hate grows. If my child ever did such a thing to another human being, I would personally ensure their punishment was swift, severe, and involved them being part of the solution for helping those affected and preventing future acts. To Paige- this experience affected you, but don't let it define you. Don't let hate win.
23
Chris Madeira if you were in school with her at the time of the incident did you shun or support & befriend her after the incident? Each one who did not befriend or continue to be her friend were and are a part of the problem. Everyone failed her in the school especially the principal and the teacher who threw the rock she should have been fired. It’s the domino game! Bullying is Bullying!
16
@Macy I was not in the school at the time of the incident, but I can tell you once again that this school does not foster hate. I have several Jewish friends here and none of theme are bullied for their beliefs. Both they and I know that we can come to MAST and know that we are going to be safe and not be subjected to bullying. No teachers here praised Hitler either, that is misinformation. The teacher who threw that rock did not understand what was on it either. The rock spelled "hope", but when upside down, it spelled Adolf. When the teacher found out about this, she immediately threw it out. Once again, please don't let the reputation of a good school get tarnished by a small group of idiots.
1
Hate isn't a joke. Anyone who blames these incidents on the youthful inexperience of the boys is in denial.
7
Where was the New Jersey Department of Education during all this time?
MAST was clearly considered a "good school" based on academics - presumably defined in part by test scores. But in our obsession with this narrow definition of achievement, we overlook schools' records in developing character and a school culture based on respect. MAST is certainly a "low performing" school in important respects.
The State of New Jersey should put this school on probation, consider revoking this school's charter and taking over its operations -- just like it does for other "low performing" schools.
346
@Cookin I agree with this writer. This school should be placed on probation. The adults in charge didn’t respond properly. Character development is extremely important and the school should have guided its students to know that their behavior was completely unacceptable. All of the students. Shunning is a firm of intimidation and passive bullying. What this school allowed to happen is not ok. Shame!
36
@Cookin
Agree! No school with this kind of history deserves to be considered high performing until or unless it can prove it has seriously cleaned up its act.
I, for one, would like a follow-up regarding that teacher who is recommending Mein Kampf to his/her students as a "great book." How is that person allowed to keep teaching? They should be fired tomorrow if they haven't been.
25
To chalk up this incident to the so-called innocent, joking behavior of immature teens is to give their parents a pass as well. Bigotry starts at home, at the dinner table. Children are not born bigoted. Have you ever seen 4-year olds of different races not play together, as if it's the most natural thing? Children learn hate from their parents and relatives, and that hate is reinforced by the larger community and school officials' blatant failure to take this stuff seriously.
531
@JA I would blame the "anti-" social media sites these kids consume. They learn their hate from anonymous sources online. There is no dinner table banter to be had, they are on their devices 24/7.
13
@JA They can also easily learn it from their peer groups and the messaging of the greater society.
14
@JA If you've ever been with a child when they are toddlers, at a diverse playground, you'd know that children actually are born quite racist, if that's the right term? Small kids (and dogs!) are near always cautious and afraid around people of different races to them and their families. They need to be taught to not be afraid of the other. This doesn't end the playground, and should continue, by their families, through adulthood. Not all children learn from their families. Some just don't learn to not-hate enough from their families.
3
This is not an obvious, too-young-to-understand, prank with "nothing meant" by it - the anti-Semetic incidents have been on-going. That the community is standing behind the boys and others who think anti-Semitism is ok says a lot about the culture of anti-Semitism. It is time for the pastors who give their homilies and who talk about loving Jesus and you'll be saved step up and decry the culture of Jew-hatred which was preached by the Church (and its offshoots) over the centuries. I can't believe that the Jewish boy says that the insults don't bother him - at some level they have to. I am sorry for Paige and I wish her success in overcoming this ordeal.
12
Most ugly hurtful remarks are made by people who are not out to harm their victims.They are ignorant and and it's often the case that they also think about some of the people that they know, that he is a good guy "even though" he is a Jew,black,gay person etc. I think that's how most of those young men at the school and millions of others think. Hello Trump voters.
Then again a small percentage of them truly do want to harm those they perceive as enemies due to their religion, race, country of origin etc.and at times in history they became the majority. Germans in the 1930's were not another species
2
The universities that rescinded the acceptances did their student body a favor by blocking these sociopaths into their campus. Where were their parents in all of this? Complicit? I hope the victim and her family get as much damages money as possible and this so-called joke of a school called MAST is closed for good.
12
Sadly, the jokes never stop. The swastikas don’t disappear, the racism doesn’t go away. They only disappear from public view, for a while. Rinse, recycle, repeat.
We must always stay vigilant. I say this even though I’m not Jewish. Especially because I’m not Jewish.
15
I’m 50 years old and grew up in Fort Lee, NJ. Went to a public HS that had a little bit of everything ethnically, but back then Fort Lee had a majority of Irish and Italian Americans. I encountered anti-semitism all the time growing up there. But one incident sticks in my mind. My geometry teacher (10th grade) was a wonderful older Jewish lady, Ms. Friedman. In the class at the time was my best friend from grade school who was no longer a friend of mine (you’ll understand why). His father was a bigot, pure and simple and became police chief and ran for mayor of the town, but lost! This boy was misbehaving badly and when the teacher told him to be quiet, he stood up, put his hand in the air in salute, and said “Heil Hitler”. Ms Friedman stormed out crying. To this day I wish I had gone over to that old friend and punched him square in the face. Haunts me to this day.
21
Do we chalk teenage mass shooters up to “just being 16” and “making a stupid mistake”? Absolutely not and nor should we here. To call these call these actions “jokes” distracts from what they actually are - hate speech. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how teenage bigotry and hate can grow into violence. We cannot excuse or downplay hate as humor and then be surprised when it leads to acts of terrorism.
9
Hate is no joke - there's nothing funny about it.
There is certainly nothing funny about Nazism and anti-Semitism, which led to the horrible suffering and deaths of many millions of human beings and to the mass destruction of WWII.
Expressing hate is not just a stupid teen prank - especially when it's part of a pattern of anti-Semitic or racist bullying.
Even more appalling than the teens' anti-Semitic bullying and hate speech is their parents' excuses for their behavior.
Racists, anti-Semites, homophobes, and misogynists often claim their expressions of hate, mockery, and derision are "just jokes" - another way to delegitimize their victims' complaints, their rights, and their humanity.
9
Remember Charlottesville and the “JEWS WILL NOT REPLACE US” chants by people whom the President of the United States called ‘very fine people’? Then we hear about gross antisemetic high school students? Do you think there is a connection?
17
The ignorance and bigotry of these students, their parents, and school administration is alarming to say the least. There are no jokes that involve “i hate Jews” or a rock with the name Adolf/hope on it. And they targeted their “joke” to a young Jewish girl, and it wasn’t the first time. Let’s see if we can find the funny here. No, we cannot. The fact of the matter is that you CAN do something at the age of 16 or younger that you will have to carry through your life in one way or another. No one is immune from the consequences of their actions.
11
A “bias incident”? Talk about a euphemism on steroids. Calling this a “bias incident” normalizes hate speech.
9
How warped it is that people were worried about the “boys” not getting into college but not worried that the “boys” were vicious anti-semites And the school promoted an atmosphere of bigotry. I think the principal deliberately let people know who blew the whistle on this bigotry.
Funny they were not at all worried about the young women who was singled out and shunned.
As for the male Jewish student; Stockholm Syndrome comes to mind.
Glad I don’t live there, it sounds creepy.
11
The flip side of bullying is when the bullies claim to be the real victims when caught. It’s always “It was just a joke” or “Nobody meant anything by it.” There are always bullies, but there is one thing different.
Donald Trump. The bully in chief is a toxic role model who has ridden the racism of the right wing into power.
Conservative media has been playing up white victimhood for a long time. Illegal immigrants are stealing jobs; blacks are getting special treatment because of liberal quotas, minorities are getting all the breaks, and Christians are suffering persecution for their faith.
When LBJ got the Civil Rights act and other measures turned into law, the GOP became the refuge of racists. The Southern Strategy, Lee Atwater’s dog whistles, Nixon’s anti-semitism, Reagan’s dog whistles, Rush Limbaugh’s racism...
The last straw was when Obama got elected. It was proof of all their fears.
The GOP has been riding the idea of whites under threat in their ‘own’ country for a long time. Trump now says the quiet parts out loud. His cruel humor, his insults and threats, his whining about being under attack, the charge that Democrats are the real racists - it’s all of a piece.
Not all in the GOP are racists - but all of them benefit from racism. It, along with anti-semitism and misogyny, is how they turn out their base even while robbing them with tax cuts for the rich. Hate and fear are their key tools to hold onto power. They know what they’re doing.
22
@Larry Roth how do explain Ilan Omar and rashida talib?
I won’t even begin to argue the rest of what you said. Just hope to make you think for once.
Paige, as awful as this is, you will be successful. That large, out of state school could be a great opportunity, more so than the claustrophobic “elite” schools. Those schools are about perpetuating the status quo in a world that badly needs some tikkun olam.
This is your time - go Paige go!
11
Here’s one major source of the problem:
“ It didn’t take long for Paige to realize that MAST was not what she had imagined. On her first day as a freshman, she said, she came home in tears because two teachers had laughed when pronouncing a student’s last name, Guiffre, as “Jew-Frey.”
“I wouldn’t want a last name like that,” she recalled one teacher saying. The same teacher would later recommend “Mein Kampf” to her class as a great book, Paige said.”
Why were these teachers not held accountable for teaching hate?
17
This is utterly outrageous: what kind of upbringing did those kids have that made them feel it was acceptable to spew such hatred? Does anyone teach modern history in the United States any more?
6
The boys’ lives weren’t ruined by the colleges rescinding admission. They were given an opportunity to learn an important lesson about racism.
11
Does it strike anyone that bias incidents reported to law enforcement are up 55% in NJ alone, since 2016? The Trump administration and their ilk have created a space where ignorance and hate such as this is not only 'expressable', but acceptable. My heart goes out to Paige, her family, and all others regardless of race, religion or other difference who have suffered from this normalisation of bigotry.
9
“Bias incidents” and straight up hate crimes have increased every year since 2015. Let’s see, what happened in 2015? Who started holding rallies about making America great again? Shame on MAST and their students. What kind of teacher recommends Mein Kampt? What principal identifies the student who caused 3 classmates to be suspended? And how un-woke are MAST’s students? Shunning someone for defending herself against hate speech? I can guarantee how this went. The boys were alphas. Admissions to Cornell, NYU and awards support that. They felt invincible. Tormenting Paige was funny. They chose her religion because it made her different. It was a weak spot. She wasn’t an alpha in the class. That’s why no one supported her. That’s why she was shunned. Bullying at MAST was clearly systemic. Anti-semitism? No one did anything. That’s Anti-semitism by omission. Like lying by omission, it’s still lying.
5
@Jill, no surprise here. Jersey has a fair amount of communities where “white flight” refugees fled to—and those folks are vicious when it comes to “defending” their safe, secure “All-American” town.
4
As great of an area as Monmouth County is, its major shortfall is its lack of diversity. Some areas are quite “WASP”-y and it’s common to be able to count minority students on two hands in most high school graduating classes. While it’s a county with great access to beaches, the city and things to do, its residents are a relatively homogenous mix of incredibly wealthy white families.
These kids make jokes about Jews because they don’t know enough of them to understand their culture (this is not an excuse, nobody should still be making these sort of remarks). Of course their behavior is still abhorrent but their inability to gauge the seriousness of their actions is at least partially caused by the fact that Jewish people are simply “the people who live in Marlboro.”
The demographics and segregation of the county without a doubt enable these young kids to grow up making such “jokes” and facing little repercussion for their actions. They need to understand the gravity of these issues.
4
Paige, I am so sorry this happened to you. Speaking the truth to power always has consequences. I'm sorry you had to experience them at such a young age. Remember this: YOU are not the problem. THEY are--the ones who did it, the ones who ostracized you, and the ones who stood by and did nothing. The "innocent bystanders" will keep trying to make you the problem because then they won't have to take responsibility for anything. Don't let them gaslight you. Take what you have learned and empower others to stand up. God bless!
6
As my grandma used to say " when a child misbehaves, teach the parents". This article reflects the thinking of a substantial group of adults with limited knowledge of history. Enlighten the parents of these school children & create an opportunity for dialogue.
9
As a Jewish high school student in Philly in the mid-late 1980s, we had a large Jewish population in our school. Pennies were routinely thrown at the Jewish kids and no one said or did anything.
Thirty years later, my daughter is now a junior in a NJ high school that has a good reputation. She has been subjected to numerous anti-Semitic “jokes” by her supposed friends even when she asked that they stop and told them how offensive the jokes were.
I never thought she’d have to experience what I went through and it breaks my heart to know nothing has changed all these years later.
11
My son went to one of the top private schools in the area, which had a reputation for producing smart, kind, successful students. In seventh grade my son became increasingly withdrawn and unhappy, which I thought was just seventh grade, arguably the worst year of everyone's life. But he wanted to switch schools and I agreed. The school's administration was devastated as he was a straight-A student and recognized for his intellect and empathy and had received an award as "a rising star." They called me to see why he left and that they readmit him no matter when. After the summer, his best friend told me he had been bullied for being Jewish. We do not practice the religion and do not belong to a synagogue. I called the admissions director and told him why my son was not coming back but also that he wouldn't name who did this to him. The director knew immediately who was responsible and said one of the boys had returned to Venezuela and the other two were not asked back. Too little, too late.
There was a major anti-Semitic incident at one of Washington DC's top, exclusive private school as well. No one can convince me that the current administration has not helped to foster the spread of hatred.
16
Our Asian daughter attended an elite private named in the Kavanaugh hearings. Catholic. I believe spirituality is important and all faiths were supposedly welcome. I’m White. I know exactly what discrimination looks like. Our daughter was also an ideal student and we were a full pay family (I could speak up). I told them they were discriminating against the girls of color and the non-Catholics. I used facts to prove it. Club memberships. Awards. There was no disputing the numbers. I made suggestions to improve diversity, but regardless my kid was either part of things she qualified for, the right and nice thing to do, which also effected college admissions, or we were gone. Why would I pay them $45,000 a year to marginalize her and limit her college choices? They were aghast, insulted, they ignored me but I was relentless and eventually they came through. For which I was grateful. She’s now at a highly selective college, one of the best admissions the school has had. I had many detractors at her school - administrators and parents. All White. “That awful woman.” I quite enjoyed that. I never asked for anything that wasn’t promised. Anything my daughter had not earned. I spoke for girls and families who could not speak fearing their financial aid would be pulled. If you found that offensive, you’re a total loser imho. We have nothing to say to each other anyway. Nothing nice!
6
“In New Jersey alone, bias incidents reported to law enforcement increased by 55 percent between 2016 and 2018, following a decade of decline. Nearly half of those incidents were committed by minors, police statistics show.” Thanks President Trump for this.
7
The shadow of high school bullying is long. Harassed, embarrassed, and bullied from elementary through high school. I don't have any of those "fond memories" nor any wish to see any of my "classmates" ever again this life. Happily missed my 40th, looking forward to missing the 50th.
148
It is appalling what Paige and her family went through. Although the article is well written calling antisemitism anti-semitism has racist undertones too. The New York Times should know better.
4
@Lisa Neidich
i'm sorry, can you please elaborate? what is racist about calling anti-semitism anti-semitism?
is it just a difference between American and British English?
6
Why is this school still open?
It should be immediately closed down by the state, and then every Jewish organization on the Eastern Seaboard should get together to find a way to sue it out of existence.
23
No accredited college or university ever should accept these would be hitler jugend. A lifetime inability to be educated for a profession would serve as a warning that others. The implicated staff members should be dismissed.
17
@J.Jones I meant “serve as a warning to others.”
5
I attended this school!!! While I am so sad and disgusted to read what went on, I'm so happy that paige and her family are taking action and that this school is finally being held accountable.
I was in a similar situation where I didn't transfer early enough and had to stick it out for four years. I have numerous memories of teachers making sexist, racist, and prejudice remarks and never being held accountable. On top of that, not only was most of the student body conservative, but this military environment seemed to breed bullies.
I was miserable, but luckily I had close friends with similar views as me or I would not have been able to survive there. It sounds as if the school has gotten worse. I cannot imagine what paige was going through, but I fully support her on this and I'm so inspired by her for sticking to her own beliefs.
48
@G, past time for this place to be shut down. I’m sorry you went through that.
18
@G What class did you graduate with? I am a MAST student and my experience differs completely with what you described. When I go to this school I feel both safe and comfortable, and I'm sure that all of my classmates could say the same.
1
@Chris Madeira I'm glad that you feel safe there. I don't think that every person at MAST felt the same way as me like you seemed to imply in your response. I'm willing to have a discussion, but the fact that you stated that "all" of your classmates feel "safe and comfortable" at MAST means that you must not have even read this article. Read it again.
1
The creators of the "I H8 Jews"have not had their lives ruined by having their college acceptances rightfully rescinded. They have plenty of opportunities ahead of them to make up for their disgusting act. I am very pleased they did not get into the college of their choice - neither did the victim, who lost a lot more then the boys. It's only through a successful lawsuit that school administrators will learn that anti-semitism is very serious offense and those who do too little to see it end should pay.
37
These kids should have been transferred to a reform school for antisemitics.
6
I'm not Jewish. The people who commit anti-Semitic words or deeds ought to be punished severely. My relatives fought the Nazis. There should be no place in America for Nazi sympathizers.
There is always a wannabe Hitler among us. We cannot lower our guard.
40
That school has an endemic problem and needs a good house cleaning, top to bottom. I won't be at all surprised that part of the problem isn't a teacher or two.
21
@sine nomine, agreed. It should be closed down—the rot here sounds way too deep.
11
@Deering24 You should not let the reputation of a good school be ruined by a few rotten students. I attend MAST and I can assure you that we do not foster an environment of hate. This article does contain misinformation as well.
1
well her parents should have taken her out of the school when it became apparent that she was suffering. this, i do not understand. as for the boys, good that their college admission was denied. they need to do community service and sit through a few viewings of the liberation of the death camps and be forced to write papers about what they may have learned. this is toxic and an affront to many non jews
22
It's sickening to read a story like this. Who knew that NJ was the new ground zero for anti-Semitism? The kids involved in the beach incident should be named and shamed; good luck to them finding jobs in NYC after this. They deserve no sympathy; they should have known better. I hope every Jewish kid enrolled at MAST--and I doubt that many are left--sees the school and its faculty for what they are, and leaves now.
21
@HSR, it’s no surprise this happened in NJ, trust me. Any state where racists run to to escape the terrifying urban “hordes” of cities like New York and Newark is prime territory for this behavior.
8
@Deering24, NJ is extremely religiously and racially diverse I don't find it to be any more anti-semitic than anywhere else. It may be less so, actually.
1
@Rob D, it has a fair amount of niche areas, particularly in Ocean County and western NJ, which are decidedly not diverse and are welcoming on the surface...unless you hang around too long or don’t always act “white” enough.
1
This is terrible.
And yes, these boys who had their admission letters rescinded get to learn this lesson now; this behavior won't be acceptable in the working world that they hope to join eventually.
Bigoted bullying isn't a joke. Learn to be better people.
15
There is confusion on the part of the 'insulters' between humor and insult. But they are hiding their motiviation. This is creepy. Also the behavior of Mr. Moore who 'outed' Paige while ostensibly conducting an investigation. If he was truly concerned his obvious reason would be "I am concerned. I'm asking questions." By putting himself outside of the concern he became a net contributer.
Too Bad.
21
@robomatic
Read the Complaint and Jury Demand cited in the article ("would also inspire a lawsuit against the school"). Earl Moore bears 99% of the responsibility for this situation.
4
This is one of the saddest, angering, incomprehensible stories I have read. Am I surprised? Absolutely not. Just two years ago I was asked by my college dept. chair if I was one of those with all those holidays they couldn’t pronounce. And yes, this was in NJ.
Hold your head high Paige, you have a lot to be proud of and admirable guts to take it on.
24
I’ve got a pretty great sense of humor, but I’m going to need that kid to explain his complex “funny” here.
Additionally, are you KIDDING ME w/kids will be kids?!? Look... I vividly remember being 16, THAT wasn’t “funny” then, and it’s STILL not remotely funny now.
These kids aren’t home watching Hannity, but Mom and Dad are and that’s where this comes from. It’s blatant, it’s obvious, and it’s disgusting, that Dad feels Jr has “suffered” here is all you need to know.
21
This stuff starts at home. I find it bizarre that people are anti Semitic. How would you even know someone is Jewish? What difference does it make? What kind of person thinks Adolph Hitler is someone to admire? It’s sickening.
28
I attended an all-boys boarding school in the late 1950s. Students there openly expressed anti-Semitism. When I entered a classroom, other students would pretend they were sneezing and pronounce "Ah Jew." One student wore a Nazi uniform and played German military marching songs on his record player while other students raised their arms and yelled Sig Heil in unison. The school yearbook had a picture of faculty members in Nazi uniform posed in front of a swastika banner. This was in an Episcopalen school in upstate New York. My parents spoke with headmaster and resident minister. Nothing changed. The decision to remain was left to me, and I chose to stay. It was painful then, and the memories are painful now. Over the years, I was approached to support the school financially. I was in my mid-60s when I finally explained to the development people that, even though I received a good education there, and even though the culture of the institution has changed over time, I could not bring myself to provide financial support to a place that had taken no action to change that personal nightmare. I empathize with Paige and her family and encourage her to use her negative experience as a teacher. It will help her rise above prejudiced minds and administrative incompetency.
38
@Outsider in Utah, what is the school like now?
3
I'm disgusted, and disturbed, by not surprised, by this story. Nor am I surprised by the complicity or stupidity of the principal, Earl Moore. The lack of willingness to use their names in this article by every student, while minimizing the extent of the offense, is telling.
Albert Rescinio referred to this as a tongue in cheek sarcastic joke. He's a lawyer, and he's trying to defend the culprit here. If I accidentally used the N word or some other racial epithet, It could be described as tongue in cheek.
To make a 15 foot wide message in beach sand is planned, pre-meditated, intentional, evil and mean spirited. To know words that are the upside down versions of offensive words is pretty sophisticated & developed levels of hate in my book. That takes thought, practice or study. That doesn't fall out of the sky.
But there is one part of this story that is most unfortunate, as the reporter Ms. Sharon Otterman states; "In New Jersey alone, bias incidents reported to law enforcement increased by 55 percent between 2016 and 2018, following a decade of decline. Nearly half of those incidents were committed by minors, police statistics show."
Of course, we don't need to be professors of History to correlate the timing in that paragraph to the start of the current presidential term. We had been making progress! Bullying was way down. Society was winning the battle against this horrible abuse of vulnerable children. This is not be best. This is Trump's influence at its worst.
43
It is little wonder that intolerance of all types has gone up since Trump took office. It starts at the top.
22
My blood got up reading this story. For the two boys, it's the Brock Turner parental defense: "The exposure of my child's heinous behavior has rebounded on him. THAT's the problem, not his behavior." The rescind of acceptances by the offenders' colleges of choice was completely appropriate and proportional.
The entire chain of behavior is sickening -- from the initial incidents, to the half-hearted response, to the blame-the-victim aftermath. To his credit, the father of the boy on the beach seems to have made the one adult observation, "We are not the victims here." No, indeed you are not.
A lot of comments here have correctly diagnosed the larger issue of corrosive cultural messages that empower bullies like the two boys and their female friend. So let's send an alternative message, and close the school.
21
I’m not Jewish but I can see that the parents of the boys who did this and their supporters did not teach their children well - or maybe they taught them too well. Aren’t they expressing attitudes they learned at home? They think hating and bullying are jokes and they should have no consequences for their wonderful children. Sorry, the world doesn’t work that way.
10
I'm curious why they were accepted by Cornell and NYU in the first place. The article indicated they were accepted AFTER their suspension.
12
They school probably didn’t provide information about these incidents to the colleges they applied to, which, if true, is another sign that that the administration didn’t take the issue seriously enough.
4
Close this trump-hole school down. Let the local fascists have to send their precious hate-free darlings to a regular public school. Rescind the administrative credential of Herr Moore, he is clearly unfit to be in charge of any educational institution or even supervise students. And please give us the name of the teacher who recommends "Mein Kampf" to her students as a great book. She is not a child and has earned recognition.
26
@maxsub As a MAST attendee, I can assure you that we do not foster an environment of hatred, bigotry, and antisemitism. When I go to school I feel both safe and comfortable, and I'm sure my friends can say the same. Mr. Moore took responsible action by suspending the bullies, notifying the colleges that accepted the bullies, and sending the classes to see multiple speakers who advocated for peace and acceptance. No teacher recommended Mein Kampf as a great book either, that is misinformation. The students had easy access to it because it was in her library as a historical document, along with many other books and writings. Don't let the reputation of a good school be ruined by a small group of idiots.
1
I agree, but I guess NJ loves its antisemetic breeding grounds:’
in 2019 MAST received approval for $14 million in tax payer funded building improvements ( for 277 students).
1
Why are attacks upon Jews becoming more prevalent around the world these days?
The “Jews killed G-d” theory of anti-Semitism has lost a considerable amount of its explaining power in recent years as the hold of religion over many people declines.
Today, it is largely a matter of greed, envy and jealousy.
Anti-Semitism differs from other types of prejudice because practitioners of it have convinced themselves over the course of centuries that Jewish people are smarter and more financially astute than they are, exercise power over society that is harmful to them and receive greater social recognition and rewards than they are entitled to.
That is why George Soros and other rich Jews get as much negative attention as they do, and that is why Bill Gates and Warren Buffett get comparatively little.
This is why anti-Semitism appears in odd places like Poland, Japan, Greece and Botswana where not many Jews live.
And this is why autocracy-minded political leaders around the world devise policies that are intended to appeal to anti-Semites and set them to thinking about committing acts of violence against Jews.
16
@A. Stanton
Poland used to have the largest jewish population in the world before Hitler. Their history of anti-semitism is long and was actually exacerbated by the war. that was just 3 generations ago, hate can linger a long time.
2
@Lu
“every Pole sucked anti-Semitism with his mother's milk,” as former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir put it.
4
"Albert J. Rescinio, a lawyer for the boy who sent the photo, said “a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke” made when his client was 16 did not justify “attempting to ruin or derail the life of a young man.”
Mr. Rescinio, I fail to find the sarcasm or the humor in the statement, "I hate Jews".
Unfortunatley, you do.
Do you also use this expression around Jewish people and tell them it's“a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke”?
Do you send pictures to Blacks that say "I hate Blacks" and expect people to think it's just “a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke”?
The boy who wrote the "joke" was indoctrinated at home to 'hate Jews'
There is nothing sarcastic nor anything humorous here.
What we do have is exactly what was stated, an expression of baseless hate against Jews.
And I am not saying this "tongue-in-cheek".
Unfortunately
14
Where did they learn to degrade Jews? Around the dinner table? At family / friend functions? And, where did the adults in their lives learn it? Is it a legacy, passed from one generation to the next and reinforced in the present by a president who attracts the most virulent racists and antisemites - white supremacists groups like the KKK, neo-Nazis and the so-called Alt-right? A president who may not be of their ilk, but who gives them a pass because he is incapable of instinctively denouncing them and, rather suggest that there are those among them that are very fine people. These "kids" learned well. It's wonder Mein Kampf is so popular among them.
13
I guess I just don't get the "jokes." Are racism and Anti-Semitism a joke? Is Hitler a joke? Is the Holocaust a joke? Is lynching a joke? Is the Civil War a joke? Is placing refugees who are feeling for their lives into cages a joke?
11
I do t know where to start. My mother tried to survive as a Christian and was betrayed when she reached for the wafer with her hand instead of tongue. She came from a religious Hewish home. Her parents and grandmother and brother were murdered for being Jews in Poland. She spent her life praising in churches and temples across the country the two Catholic Deere workers who kept her alive for 14 months in a sewer after escaping the death camp after the Nazi beat her unconscious and shaved off her hair. My parents met here. His parents and brother were murdered for being Jews. He survived three long freezing years in Auschwitz and Buchenwald and still had a number on his arm when he died. Just this past month, DE FINALLY passed a bill to make Holocaust mandatory in grades 6-12. I couldn’t attend a certain club growing up Cos it had a no Jews no blacks rule. All my classmates went. Over 50% don’t know the Holocaust. They MUST learn about the sadistic “medical experiments” the Nazis did, tying twins together to see who died first, smashing babies’ skulls, they must go to the Holocaust museum and see mountains of eye glasses and gold teeth etc. It’s not enough to say “I have a Jewish friend.” 75 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the whole world need to know everything. My brother’s accounts of my parents stories can be found at Davidleepreston.com.
26
I keep thinking about this article, about Paige’s bravery and integrity and her pain and depression, hoping that she is now safe from classmates whose idea of fun is to torment others.
When I was a boy in the 1950s there was bullying at school to be sure but home was a sanctuary and a refuge. In this current era of pervasive electronic connection and pernicious cyberbullying, no place is safe, including one’s own bedroom.
If you happen upon these words Paige, please know that there are many of us who not only wish you well but who would love to be able to somehow shield you and all targets of vicious and malevolent attacks from the wounds that accompany them.
16
I guess those who think the boys were punished too severely still aren’t thinking about the long-term damage it did to Paige.
The “boys will be boys” attitude is an excuse for all sorts of mean and abusive behavior that should no longer be tolerated.
14
Awful, my heart goes out to Paige and her family. At least she has all her wits about her, and a bright future ahead. We are parents of a special needs child, and basically have to keep a lawyer on retainer. School systems have too much leeway under the law to get away with abuses of all kinds.
8
Beyond even the ignorance, bigotry, and bullying, too often there is little if any sense of shame today.
4
With one exception, there is zero remorse or responsibility expressed on the part of the students committing these vile anti-semitic actions, or by the rest of the school's student body, teachers, or administrators. They certainly don't sound as though they are sorry, or have learned anything about treating people who are "different" from them with respect. I am appalled on behalf of Paige, her family, and any other human being who has been on the receiving end of this kind of sociopathic behavior. Society seems to be devolving before our eyes.
6
As a educator I found this story appalling. The school's approach to it was totally unsatisfactory. I think the staff could really use some multicultural training.
Children learn from their parents and their friends. Often they form their own line of thinking based on what they have heard from others. Did these young men hear this jewish bashing from family or friends?
For example The two young men who killed Matthew Shepard, a gay man in Wyoming got the concept of gay hate from their parents. They admitted they heard the conversation at home and assumed what their parents were saying was true.
High School in reality should be some of the best years of your life. You make friends, you become who you are and no one should have to experience events that degrade those high school years.
I was in high school once and it was some of the best years of my life. So carefree and no stress, that is the way it should be.
What Paige experienced should not have occurred. The bully students and the school itself prevented her from having the kind of experience we all should have in high school.
I wish her well in her future experiences and yes the boys who created this negative experience for her got their own justice.
5
I went thru dealing with some antisemitism in high school as do many Jews. It's hard as a kid being the other which Jews are even if they don't like it, or even know it. It seemed to me that the same person who at times displayed antisemitism was also someone who hanged out with you and was even sometimes a friend who expected you to not get too bothered by tasteless jokes or pranks. That there will always be many people ready to harm Jews is a fact of history.
3
If this keeps.up we will see a resurgence of Jewish groups that actively went after and punished anti-Semitism that is practices By these " young boys". Their parents should be held accountable as well as the school district. Do not feel bad that their college acceptances were rescinded.
4
I casually knew some kids like these in high school. Thanks to FB, I know that 30 years later, they are ALL still just as racist, bigoted and callous as they were then. Some pursued higher education, some did not. It seems some did well financially, some did not. Still, that core mindset from way back then is still there. Only now they post hate speech on social media. Spare us that "they are just kids". No they are not. It is a belief system and they used the same lame excuses for their behavior back then too.
I quit FB the day after Trump's election. I had seen enough of what "kids" who play these "jokes" do as adults.
10
The students and families at this school may not think of themselves as anti-Semitic, but they are completely unaware of how jokes hurt. The Times has done an excellent job reporting on Microaggressions. A thousand cuts.
Where are these kids getting the idea that this kind of "humor" is ok?
4
I hope the teacher that modeled comic anti-semitism to the students never teaches in a public high school again.
There is no reason tax-payers money should go to pay bigots (of any stripe) who broadcast their hatred publicly.
7
@Susan The teachers at MAST don't support anti-semitism. The teacher didn't see the rock and when it was upside-down it said hope. The teacher just didn't know. When she found out she threw it outside right away.
@Chris Madeira did she report the incident?
4
@Chris Madeira I am talking about THE teacher pronouncing "Giuffre" as "Jew Free" and saying I wouldn't want that last name.
I did not make a blanket statement about all the teachers.
The only reason this story made the NYT is because people reacted hostilely to a young woman who wanted to go to school without anit-Jewish harrassment. Otherwise it would be a non-story. What makes it a story, is people normalizing anti-Jewish sentiment,
5
It wasn't a stupid joke, it was a hateful statement. Why would anyone who isn't a hater think that was funny? Funny??
5
Oscar Hammerstein II said it very clearly in 1949:
You've got to be taught
To hate
And fear
You've got to be taught
From year
To year
Its got to
Be drummed in your dear little ear
You've got to
Be carefully
Taught
7
Accepting this type of behavior condones this type of behavior. Stupid is stupid, at any age. Be it the 16 year old students who act out this way, or their 30 to 50 year old parents who make excuses for them. We all make mistakes and hopefully we are all capable of learning from them and making amends. Privilege should not be immune.
1
Tolerance of the offensive jokes as merely “stupid” leads to the multiplication of such jokes leads to the normalization. Prejudice becomes systemic. This seems to be the case here. The victim is blamed rather than the perpetrators thus exposing the victim to further abuse. Offense against a class becomes focussed on a particular individual. The victim becomes a scapegoat. Others just go along. Self-interest rather than sympathy and responsible response takes over. The reputation of my school has been tarnished, my advantages reduced. Yes, all the more reason to protest bad behavior.
The teachers, the responsible adults, who “joked” about the name “Guiffre” should certainly have been fired. If the teacher was promoting “Mein Kamph” as a “great” book, one critical to understanding our experience, then he/she should have been willing to take responsibility and conduct a study group to examine that book. A public commitment could then be examined for what it is.
8
This is a story about a vicious and appalling culture of anti-Semitism at the MAST school which went unreported because it was in fact normative. When the victim of multiple expressions of egregious hate goes "public" it is she who is seen as the spoiler, the poor sport who has opened the school for criticism and damaged the opportunities of two virulently Jew-hating adolescents. For the most part the story seems to follow this line, but there is one curious, incongruous and deeply disturbing line by the author that raises questions about her own perspective. The quotation can't be dismissed out of hand because it is used early on in the introduction to characterize what happened. The writer notes the story is about what happens when the response to hate "spins out of control." What exactly is this suggesting?? What precisely "spun out of control?" Was it the reaction of the Jewish student to a history of anti-Semitic harassment? Was it the family's recourse to lawyers to set the matter right? The only thing that "spun out of control" was the widespread Jew-hatred lurking just beneath the surface in that school and community.
39
Yeah, I think that’s pretty much what she meant.
1
@Dr. Svetistephen While this is a horrible incident, it was only a small group of students who were being anti-semitic. I go to MAST and I can assure you that we do not foster an environment of antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry.
32
exactly....
I had same reaction and commented earlier on. Yes, the reference to the antisemitism as simply a bias incident is a mischaracterization, and the term ‘out of control’ sounds dismissive of the the virulent nature if antisemitism.
Clearly the ineffectual responses of school and community sadly reveal the ignorance around the history of antisemitism.
10
Hitler never died. He is still alive in the minds and hearts of too many. There's always something serious behind "stupid jokes."
11
I know that my two sons would never have done anything like this when they were 16. What were their parents doing, or permitting, that led their children to engage in such behavior?
13
Interestingly, just yesterday I started watching the A&E series, "Divided States." The first episode deals with an incident from a couple of years back in a Hellertown, PA public high school, in which a black student was humiliated in front of a gymnasium full of spectators at a high school basketball game by a white student who was taunting him with racial stereotypes. The white student kept it up until the black student couldn't take it anymore, and the black student lashed out physically (as many a testosterone-filled 16-year-old boys would do in a similar situation).
And exactly the same kinds of excuses were made for the white student's conduct: "It was a joke," "It got blown all out of proportion," etc. And just as folks at the Monmouth County school insist they are not anti-Semitic, so did folks at the Hellertown school insist they were not racist.
In both cases, the fact that so many adults were willing to make excuses for this kind of conduct speaks volumes about the culture at both places!
28
I grew up in a small city in upstate NY and there were plenty of antisemitic comments. “Why did you kill Jesus?/Christ-killer”—frequently. ”Eichmann’s going to get you.”—once. Pennies thrown on the ground—occasionally. Antisemitism internalized in me and I suspect the few other Jewish kids I grew up around. None of us that I recall made an issue of it because we felt it would become worse, which is true based on this article. My parents just repeated the nursery rhyme “sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never hurt me,” and never made waves either. They had obviously lived through much worse. Boomers grew up in the shadow of the holocaust, but it seemed like ancient history; nevertheless, we understood to be wary. I too feel Trump is to blame for a lot of the recently increased activity, but it’s not like such activity wasn’t around. The courage to call it out publicly is not in great supply, I guess. I salute Paige and her parents.
23
I read this article with a dropped jaw and tears in my eyes. In my opinion, all the members of the school's administration should be held accountable for failure to protect and stand up for Paige. However, sadly I don't think any disciplinary action or successful lawsuit will cure the ill feelings towards Jews held by too many members of our society.
11
Kids who get suspended for bullying in their junior year should not expect to get admitted to prestigious colleges. Remember, it's a "permanent record."
17
This is very sad.
2
How is any of this a “joke” or funny? People love to use that excuse but don’t really explain....
12
It would seem the 1947 movie, Gentlemen’s Agreement would still play as current news. The movie discussed the “under-belly of anti-Semitism in America.
This is part and parcel of the environment of Racism that continues to rule the United States. Anyone who believes “that is not relevant today” is willfully blind and deaf.
My heart goes out to the student and her family. And it is a reminder that Mom’s know
best : “it’s the real world”.
4
It seems once you mention it was a military type school, I would have guessed the rest I f the article.
I do not understand “why” antisemitism is considered a joke by any high school student. Why the need to target Jews for such hate? It makes no sense. Antisemitism is disgusting and shameful.
15
A teacher was telling students that Mein Kampf is a great book and there have been no consequences?
30
My 6 year old granddaughter knows better than these obnoxious ill bred teenagers. I blame the parents and the teachers.
13
Unfortunately, closed systems like public school districts can get away with tepid responses to horrific behavior. There is no accountability and kids are paying the price.
2
Teenage lapses in judgment become adult lapses in judgement if it is not taken seriously and with consequences. Still getting to go to Cornell and NYU doesn't seem a fitting consequence.
7
@Maureen
Read the article completely. the did not get to go to those schools. both schools rescinded their acceptance.
The top of the story comes across as if it is victim blaming to me because it presents the problems the boys are having as equivalent to the Paige's. It suggests she is the cause of their problems when it was their choosing.
Yes, everyone's life was derailed. No, the boys' lives and futures shouldn't be jeopardized forever because of what happened when they were 16.
But they also didn't have to deal with the added pain of being bullied because of their faith.
What they did was wrong and in today's world where there are weekly news stories about white supremacists targeting Jewish people, I have a really hard time believing these boys didn't know exactly what they were doing. Its a failure to not put the boys actions into the context of the moment we are in.
9
It's not the dramatic occurrences; it's the drip, drip, drip of racism, anti-semitism, classicism, and bullying that erodes a young person's life. And that erosion happens just when we're learning resilience. The myth that "we grow out of childhood" is just that: a myth. I carry the pains of bad things that happened to me when I was a kid; so do you.
23
There are times when the best or even only way to deter bad behavior is to make an example of the perpetrators, even if this seems unfair. This is an example of one of those times.
5
Disclaimer: One child of mine attended this school. My other attended another in the district.
These schools call themselves career academies because their curriculum is aligned to a specific fields. This school, is for students who are interested in marine sciences. There's another one for health sciences, another for STEM, another for communications, etc. (Aligning the curriculum means, for example, the English classes study of Herman Melville.)
The problem is that as these schools have started showing up on "Top 50 schools" lists, they are attracting people who are only interested in the status of attending the school, not its mission. A faculty member at the STEM school has told me its become big problem there; a lot of students aren't interested in "all this STEM stuff", they just want to be able to tell people they attend "the number one high school in New Jersey!!"
The parents quoted in the article sound like these sort of people. Their primary concern is about what this awful indecent is going to do to their status. It's no longer going to be any fun bragging that your little precious goes to MAST.
20
@(Used To Be A) Proud MAST Parent, sorry—that’s way too facile an explanation. You have an entire school system that failed Paige and let her tormentors slide. You have teachers talking up “Mein Kampf” as a book to live by—and facing no consequences. You have a good number of townsfolk who turned on Paige and her family. That is too many people to be just a small bunch of arriviste snobs—that is long-term, institutional/town rot. Your district has a serious problem, and denial won’t get it off the hook.
7
Numerous delineated, labeled, negative behaviors,issues and processes are described in this article. Bullying. Antisemitic "messages." Victimizing.
What is not noted is "personal accountability."
By school staff at all levels. By a range of diverse students. By a Parent Teachers Association;if one exists in this specialized school.
By the educational system's staff in the region and in the state.
By the parents of students who "knew;"
in whatever ways.
By the relevant media.
What is not explained in this article is why these harmful events were not used educationally to make a much needed difference about an ongoing, enabled, toxic, infectious WE-THEY culture which violates by creating, selecting and targeting "the other." By words and deeds. Daily.
Paige, targeted over time, was ONE victim.
Menschlichkeit was an additional victim.
Building sustainable mutual trust was an additional victim.
As was mutual respect. And mutual help; if and when needed.
A range of people, and systems, complacent about..., as well as complicit at various levels in... continue to choose NOT to
"Fail better!" The writer notes " If administrators had better protected Paige..."
Consider: If administrators had better protected civility. Norms. Values. Ethics. Education.
Then maybe ALL of the constituents in this narrative would have had the opportunity to learn, and integrate, that there are consequences for what one does which shouldn't BE, as well as doesn't do what should BE
1
NJ has seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents. This school needs a change in leadership and staff. These teens don't deserve college admission because they don't accept responsibility for their actions and speech. Their parents have failed, or are they simply exemplifying their parents' views?
8
Any student caught making antisemitic comments (or any hate speech) should be expelled immediately and not allowed back-ever. A free exchange of ideas or free speech is not name calling. Inquiry and dialogue needs to be encouraged even if some people are offended. This has nothing to do with what these kids were doing. You can’t call somebody names based on: race, religion etc and expect that to be protected.
8
we grew up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood. my brother had the side of his head smashed with a rock, because he was Jewish. that happened on our block, in the late 1950s. but other than that, we did not experience any anti-semitic remarks/actions from anyone. at any time, right through college. there is always one....and the boy who did this to my late brother died shortly afterwards, in a bike accident. we all felt badly for his mom. but him? nah. he also, aside from brutalizing our brother, threw our little puppy down our steep steps and it died. so....karma? later on, as an adult, i did see anti-semitism among students. they asked me, when i told them i was Jewish (they asked), where was my tail? they were too young to have made this up, they learned this at home.
7
I can understand reading Mein Kampf (or parts of it) as part of a class exercise, but recommending it to high school students as a "good" book? If a teacher did that with my kids I would be so angry I couldn't see straight. What explanation do the administrators, teachers and parents at MAST have for why this wasn't acted on immediately? I mean, just unbelievable.
13
The journalists report that...”In New Jersey alone, bias incidents reported to law enforcement increased by 55 percent between 2016 and 2018, following a decade of decline.”
In a nutshell, this describes the Age of Trump.
When children witness President Trump declare that he’s “just kidding” to excuse his horrible behavior, should we be surprised that they also use the same excuse?
18
"It was just a joke"
As a seventy year old female I have been hearing that line for decades whenever a racist. sexist, homophobic or any other discriminatory action is called out. It makes me so angry and sad.
We will never defeat this as long as white male is the default norm. Demographics will eventually take care of the problem, but we shouldn't have to wait that long.
15
It's not a silly joke! I'm sorry that this so affected Paige but someday she will realize her courage. That this should be happening now is disgusting. Those boys and anyone involved should be punished and I hope they never get into any school. What is wrong with New Jersey?!!! Thanks Mr. Trump.
5
Why wasn't the teacher who recommended "Mein Kompf" as a "great book" fired? When leaders at a school seem to promote Third Reich attitudes, the school has a deep and extremely ugly problem.
And how does anyone today think it is okay to write hateful messages about one religious group on a public beach and then spread them around on social media? That is beyond stupid and youthfully indiscreet. That is conveying an idea this ignoramus has heard at home and felt comfortable with. If anyone should feel bad the boys were disinvited from their colleges, it should be their parents--lamenting the dismal and unethical upbringing they provided.
Neither of my sons ever heard that kind of language or ideas at home, and if they had participated in something like this, their punishment at home would have been a lot more distressing than a two day time out from school. These administrators are a disaster.
12
Just wow. Next thing you know, these two boys will be dropping rufis in women’s drinks in College. The whole, “it’s really innocent and harmless, they were just boys” defense has to stop. Real consequences now will actually do these boys a favor and possibly save their futures. Rescuing them and defending their actions is just one step in a pattern of life long reprehensible and immoral behavior. This school district and community are creating future Brock Turners ( the Stanford rapist case, where the Judge cited the boys “ shining future.”)
15
Well, sounds like Marine Academy of Science and Technology will be shutting down. In a just world it should. Folks I know who send kids to private school are smart, thug haters are not. Private school costs a lot, and to spend hangin out with entitled, less bright, crime prone, hater thugs will not fly. Evidently, hate has been an unpublicized part of the curriculum here for a long time, Now that it's known, every decent family at this school will leave and never look back. Hopefully this will decimate their enrollment, and other schools with intrinsic decades long hate problems will get help now, or recognize they will fall & fail with shame and law suits for all.
5
@Nell Eakin MAST isn't going to be shut down. This isn't an anti-semitic school and we don't foster an environment of hatred. This entire incident was caused by a small group of idiots who have moved on and graduated. I go to this school, and I can assure you that we are not anti-semites and bigots.
1
so perhaps you can explain in detail why the adults in the school community offered a meager response and grossly failed to take an adequate stand against antisemitism?
The small group of students was only part of the problem.
The grown ups colluded in their silence. I see no remorse. That is a huge problem and a most dysfunctional environment. You have a lot to learn.
3
@Chris Madeira I get the "small group of idiots." There are always those in every school. I am far more concerned about the large group of idiots who passed on the image, ostracized the girl, laughed at the incident, or just shrugged it off as "nonprogressive." If the perpetrators of the incident had been ostracized instead of the girl who reported it, your school would be looking a lot better.
2
The article misses one point: who are these anti-Semitic bullies in New Jersey schools? Are they the 21st century in-heritors of their WASP nineteen twenties/ thirties WASP peers( reading Mein Kampff offers an easy ( too easy )clue, or do they belong to those using the Palestinian issue as a pretext to wake up the monster ( in that case not necessarily WASP? )
From France, the question does make sense, since traditional anti-Semitism can mix very well with its mostly Muslim renewal.
5
Needless to say, America and France are very different places. There is very little Muslim antisemitism here in the US, because there are very few Muslims. What's more, across most of the country, Jewish Muslim relations are much better in the US than almost anywhere else on Earth. This is because both groups are small minorities trying to survive at the whims of the majority. Synagogues and Mosques often cooperate in both charitable endeavors, and in some instances even lend each other space. When a Synagogue is defaced or a Mosque vandalized in America, the local Rabbi and Imam are usually the first to call to offer aid, condolences, prayers and support. All of this, needless to say, happens in spite of deep disagreements about the situation in the old country.
American antisemitism, therefore, is almost entirely coming from Christians or nonreligious people who come from a Christian origin. There is some of this on the left, usually coming as a willingness to defend anyone who is anti-Israel, but the vast majority of it is coming from the right.
2
As usual, Anglos perceive the actions of their hatred and bigotry as just innocent fun or minor mistakes, with no corrective course to be taken. If you aren't the gender/race/religion being targeted you're okay with it, and anyway, it's just kids. Those kids are not learning at home or school that this is unacceptable. They are not learning at home or school that all people are to be respected and valued. They are not learning at home or school that they have an obligation to improve the world, not add to its detrimental effects.
The ganging up on this girl, not only at her original school, but the subsequent school, shows clearly the bigotry and hatred that is entrenched in the culture. Unfortunately, this seems to be seeing the light of day in our current environment.
Who would have thought that Nazis would be revered and emulated in this day and age? My WWll parents (Dad - Army infantry, Mom - Marine) would be utterly appalled.
8
My high school was in Los Angeles' "fourth Jewish ghetto" - that is as the Los Angeles Jewish community moved west with the expansion of Los Angeles thruout the 20th century, my high school was in Van Nuys. In my time, it was rated third in the LA Unified School District, after the very wealthy Pacific Palisades High (where Stephen Miller found himself to be unhappy) and University High School, vaguely attached to UCLA. My high school was also 85% Jewish. A fair number of students were their parents' 'second family' - the parents were survivors of the Nazi concentration camps and their first families had been murdered. Many of our teachers had seen service in WWII - I recall one had been a very young member of the Hitler Youth. I have no tolerance for permitting neo-Nazi sympathies or expressions in school or out of it. Nazism is not some kind of political choice, nor is it an alternate lifestyle, nor are its 'decorations' a fashion choice. It is not a matter for banal, neutral discussion. At every point, Nazism and its manifestation as hatred of Jews is to be loudly, clearly and absolutely condemned. Tolerance ends right there.
14
Never again.
11
@KLS And never forget.
7
I suppose "stupid joke" may seem like just a drop in the bucket but it's a drop of poison. I hope Paige goes forth and thrives.
8
This is really disheartening. So very sad to hear that this is happening to a Jewish student in a high school in the United States.
I would have no issue with students reading Mein Kampf (or anything else) IF the teacher is able to provide them with context. At that level, junior or senior in HS, they should be able to understand the concepts of blacklisting, overgeneralizing, racism, classism-- or am I expecting too much? How about compassion, empathy?
That the boys thought that their actions were just joking around tells me that they are ignorant of history.
We need a #me2jewish, #me2black, #me2asian..., etc, etc.
3
I was a teenager once. We trespassed, we played cat-and-mouse with the local cops who tried to catch us, we used to play with our GI Joe's and blow them up with firecrackers.
We did not harm animals. We did nothing sadistic.
There is a HUGE difference between being silly, stupid, or mischievous, and being mean, malicious, or worse.
And me and my friends knew the difference. Clearly.
I remember one kid who wanted to blow up a frog with a firecracker.
We did not play with him much.
Kids know, trust me.
385
@pjc great point. My HS junior son sometimes alludes to the fact some kids in his advanced German language class are "a little too much into German WWII history if you know what I mean". He avoids them.
48
Can someone please explain to me what the joke is with "I H8 Jews"? I can't find the humor nor sarcasm these two young men claimed -- anybody?
618
@Charlie Exactly my thoughts, too.Any attempt to excuse this is funny is equally bigoted and morally bankrupt.
71
@Charlie Why would anyone feel the need to do this? It sounds like he knew he had an audience for the posting.
57
@Charlie There is not an ounce of humor or wit in "I H8 Jews", and despite what the boys, their parents and others claim, these actions are anti-semitic pure and simple. The fact that no one owned up to it is quite revealing too and reminiscent of how many white Americans refuse to accept the fact that we live in a racist society. If this isn't an example of moral bankruptcy, I don't know what it.
81
This story is indeed very sad. Especially when people in the community fail to take a stance and acknowledge the injury caused from hatred. These types of behaviors are on the rise and not enough people are speaking out against them.
We are quick to say we are not racist but nonetheless remain disinterested and silent when terrible events like these takes place.
5
This is exactly what Theodor Adorno referred to in his essay "What does coming to terms with the past mean?" He understood that the discomfort that the perpetrator's feel (after all, they are "just kids" or really "good people" who engage in a little antisemitism here and there) and he presciently lists all the reactions that arise out of these feelings- all chillingly presented in this instance. As he wrote: "such things...could not have occurred if the victims had not presented some kind of provocation; and this vague 'some kind of' can then flourish wildly."- as in: somehow this young lady deserved this aggression, and somehow she is to blame for the punishments meted out, and somehow she overreacted to this thing that she will carry with her for the rest of her life.
8
I am really upset this happened in New Jersey at this day and age. I am so sad for the young lady who cannot reclaim the years lost in a hostile environment. Why did the parents not pull her out immediately.
Hope the two teachers are not there any more. The teachers and the community is at fault.
8
"During his investigation, Mr. Moore told Paige’s classmates that one female student had been so disturbed by the photo that she didn’t come to school that Monday, according to the attorney general’s report.
Though Mr. Moore said he never referenced Paige, it was not hard to connect the dots to who had told."
It's also not hard to connect the dots that this principal had it out for her. He knew exactly what he was doing. How is it that a 28 year old former attendee was getting anti-Semitic harassment and 10 years later it still continues? Because administrators like Mr. Moore enable and encourage it.
17
Let's assume that these boys did think this was a harmless joke. What does that say about the education they were receiving or the values of those who think they should get a pass? If my kid was a gentile and going to this school, I would have pulled him/her out. This incident is most certainly antisemitism and I also think it says something about the times we live in. We are being taught by Donald Trump, that if you do not like the message you attack the messenger.
11
This occurred because the high school employed adults who behaved in suspiciously racist ways, and who minimized or ignored anti-Semitism by students under their charge.
This occurred because the principal deemed the racism as "minor", and then chose to protect the school and its enablers.
This occurred because the community's adults and students chose to not see that "jokes" can serious harm, that such "jokes" had revealed the tip of a large anti-Semitic iceberg in their midst.
What clearly demonstrates the baked-in racism at this school is the school community's response. After clear anti-Semitic behavior was exposed, astonishingly the school and its racist community rallied around the victimizers. They then ostracized the victim. They hurt the victim!
Then I realized - MAST is a "military-themed" school! How 18th century!
11
So sad. In my group of 50+ year olds, the Jewish guy makes fun of my drinking because I'm Irish, the Italian guy gets flack about being in the mob and wearing "wife beater" guinea t-shirts and the Jewish guy gets it for trying to skip his round and being cheap. And believe it or not, none of us get offended. I see this same behavior among my daughters HS friends as they tease and kid each other and none of them get offended either.
Whatever happened to "sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me"? We have become so soft that we are almost non-functional. Safe spaces and areas on college campuses with crayons and coloring books, come on people, the world is a tough place. We need to be a little tougher if we want to survive. Shrug it off and move on.
2
@bored critic
Obviously you missed the memo that the “Times-are-a-Changing”. I’m an old guy and have lived and laughed with associates same as you. I’ve had mirthful notions about “snowflakes” and “progressives”.
But realize, if you can, this is the way the new generations wants their world to be. They are anything but soft and non-functional. They struggle with crazy problems at every level and work for solutions.
So don’t block up the hallway with your unhelpful rants and try to see the better world they are building.
5
It all starts with little “jokes”. I’m part Irish too. Look up your ancestry and see how we were marginalized, left to poverty and treated like 2nd class citizens by the English. Funny stuff.
4
@bored critic Whatever happened to civility and regard for those around us? Those who possess empathy and compassion are those who possess the most strength. They find no need to denigrate others to make themselves feel superior.
2
As this sad story depicts only one of millions of sad stories of racial intolerance and insensitivity, we are ancient tribes ensconced in a global community. Perhaps these barriers will break down some day, probably not in my lifetime or yours but if humanity is to thrive I think they must.
Unfortunately, we have an administration and executive that is stoking the flames of us against them even to the extent solely based upon your political affiliation. To hear a POTUS declare that Democrats are evil and want to destroy people and their way of life does not indicate that we are on the correct path back moving backwards to a time where anti-semitism and racism were tolerated.
4
The upsurge in antisemitism comes from the top down. Our president has encouraged hatred in all its forms as a political tactic. Yes it's about antisemitism, but it's also anti Muslim, anti-migrant, anti Hispanic and what ever else comes along. Lets not forget that Trump has also institutionalized name calling as another political tactic, which is clearly a form of bullying. As appalling as this is, it should come as no surprise that we see it in high school.
5
@Antoine add to that the use of Trump’s actual name shouted at POC for the purpose of intimidation
1
Paige,
I am so sorry for what you experienced, and I absolutely believe that you and your family did the right thing. Prejudice and hate speech or actions had no place at your school. You should have been better protected by the school. This the UNITED States, and we are all welcome here!
3
Ah, the perennial response of the bully when they are called out for their behaviour: “it was a joke” or “I was only joking”. They are cowardly twice-over: once for picking on someone who is vulnerable and, secondly, for not being honest enough to admit that they meant what they said.
10
Using "a joke" to cover malevolence only amplifies it and further belittles their victims. When these kids (and their immature teachers and parents) reply to their victims with "it was a joke," like their president Trump, it only demonstrates the depth of what Hillary Clinton correctly identified as deplorable. People may say they are not hateful, but what makes it any better to be cruel.
9
Lived in New Jersey twice. Thought that a good share of the numerous polluted and Super Fund sites had been cleaned up. Upon reading this, just discovered that Jersey is becoming filthy again. Yikes! Just stopped thinking about retiring there.
4
I'm concerned about the teacher who is recommending Mein Kampf as "a good book to read." Why is this teacher not being censured? And the condoning of students and teachers making anti-Semitic jokes is inexcusable. This school appears to have a long history of condoning anti-Semitism, and that principal and the faculty member(s) need to be fired. The school board needs to take a long, hard look at this school and make some major changes to its culture and its curriculum.
6
And this is why any type of "joking"...cultural, religious, nationality based or even of our own in the US denigrates all of us. It is not funny and it is not politically correct to joke in this way. And as minors or adults, they should all be held accountable. Let this lawsuit be the venue to make sure accountability is not missed. Parents, teachers, administrators and students...all have a responsibility here.
It is easy to say it was just a joke, when the joke is not on you. Enough!
It is racist and we learn this at home.
We need to start teaching culture and diversity, understanding and tolerance more in our schools.
2
Paige (and family), move to Israel!
We need smart people like you there. It's our only insurance policy and you and your future children will never need to worry about none of this stuff.
Tel-Aviv is amazing this time of the year!
French Jews are immigrating in the tens of thousands. Time for American Jews to wake up as well.
There is only one home for us.
You can go to some of the best universities in the world over there like the Technion for a fraction of the price.
JUST DO IT.
P. S. and even if you don't, whatever you do, good luck wherever you go. There are many people on your side. Stay strong!
8
Us against them. That’s your solution?!
1
@Billy After the holocaust less than 80 years ago yes it is an appropriate reply esp. in light of resurgence of anti Semitism nowadays.
3
@Billy
Read some history.
2
C'mon folks let's be real here. This is Trump-driven hate. With his sordid campaign and subsequent election the haters feel empowered and are now out of the woodwork.
2
"During his investigation, Mr. Moore told Paige’s classmates that one female student had been so disturbed by the photo that she didn’t come to school that Monday, according to the attorney general’s report." -- This Moore individual behaved like an idiot and should not be in charge of anything more complicated than a kindergarten. The article does not say whether he resigned.
6
While the students who were involved in this anti-Semite bullying are appalling, even more so are the teachers and parents who encouraged and sustained it!! The school should have disciplined the teachers involved as well and made it clear to the parents that such hate and prejudice will not be tolerated!
6
Teenagers make stupid decisions. Blame it on the under-developed frontal/pre-frontal lobes, but that doesn't excuse horrible behavior. It's during our teenage years that we fully recognize that our behavior has CONSEQUENCES. There's always a price to pay, and that price isn't rescinded by excuses. Yes, these boys were "young", but they still made choices. Now they need to own up to their poor choices, feel guilt, and repent. Teenagers need to learn that their actions and words can hurt people, and they need to own that responsibility and become adults.
Maybe I'm dense, but what was the "joke?" How was their behavior funny? These boys were making a "tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke?" What was the sarcasm? Missed it completely. Being crude, biased and rude does not make a joke.
The joke here is on a community and parents that raised these idiot children who perpetuated the "joke" and those that supported these boys, and saw nothing wrong with it. These are children -- no matter what their grade point -- who seem to have no common sense, no empathy, and their main attribute seems to be rudeness.
The colleges were right to rescind their offers -- yes, Johnny, there are consequences to unacceptable behavior. Now, that's ha ha funny!!!
5
Someone explain to me the hilarity in “I h8 Jews.”
How is an expression of contempt for fellow humans possibly a joke, particularly in light of recent history?
9
When I was teaching high school English in Eastchester, NY in 1968, I had tenth grade students who were wearing swastikas on chains around their necks and drawing SS insignias in ink on their hands and arms. To them, World War 2 was already ancient history, and they knew next to nothing about the symbols they sported as fashion statements. I said nothing, but I decided we would do some reading about that war and it’s horrors and have some class discussions about eugenics, bigotry, and bullying. The swastikas etc. disappeared.
There is no substitute for in-depth education.
499
@pat simons I think you got lucky in the way you approached this. To think they knew "next to nothing" about these symbols is perhaps naive. They knew enough that wearing them would elicit a response. Anti-semitism has been with western society for hundreds of years, and the way it is being addressed shows our approach is not working; incidents of hate are growing, not declining. The adults in the room have to take more interest in explaining it and stopping it.
29
@pat simons, As a Texas student I was two years ahead of yours. Details of WW2 were only seeping out in 1968; the film about Anne Frank first premiered nine years earlier, and many stories of heroes and survivors lay hidden in attics to be discovered as decades passed. Even in isolated Texas, we were well aware that Nazis were unconscionable mass murderers, and their icons hot buttons to our parents' generation who mobilized to save democracy.
That said, I'm glad you taught a thoughtful lesson to your more callous students.
24
@pat simons
As an adult daughter of two survivors, I thank you. My grandparents and uncles were murdered. Thank you for doing that.
35
No sympathy for the boys or their families. Anyone who doesn't know that what occurred is totally unacceptable, and far beyond adolescent stupidity, needs a quick course in the history of Europe and european Russia, with special emphasis on 1933 - 1945.
And by the way, I'm a WASP. But my father lost his health fighting Nazis, and plenty of others lost far more. Swastikas are neither cute, nor funny. Any school that tolerates this atmosphere should be on probation with the state education department.
580
@Howard Eddy thank you Mr. Eddy.
26
@Keith Siegel very well stated and I applaud you for your sensitivity and solidarity against anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi behavior!!
21
your father was a hero; on and off the battle field, in his raising a sensitive son.
30
The whole "stupid stuff done when you're 16" or "they're just kids they don't know any better" argument is completely insulting to teenagers. I know plenty of teenagers who absolutely understand that to say you hate a group of people, or to rape girls at parties, or even to touch them inappropriately is egregiously wrong. You don't just accidentally think to hate jews or anyone else unless you learn it in your environment. It's a learned behavior, it doesn't come naturally. You are plenty able to know better at 16.
566
@Anna Brown 100% agree. Frankly sometimes my teenagers correct MY behavior or words and make me rethink how I speak and feel about others.
13
@Anna Brown they do know better, they know that what they were doing would hurt people and they didn't mind it at all. comes from lack of empathy and the fact that we have a "leader" here who really enjoys bullying people
16
This is a nice story, but it failed to explain why this school's students and teachers act this way. What makes this school and the students and the community support this bad behavior more than other schools or communities? This story needs more context. I have a feeling the school attracts some teachers and students and parents who could be less welcoming to a mix of religions and backgrounds than most public schools, partly because of the military theme of the school. Students going to a military-preparation school might be less open to a wide range or beliefs and opinions, but this issue isn't addressed in the story. An editor could have said, "Hold on a minute, what are the reasons that this is a big problem at this school?" Also, it is good to spell out ROTC. Some people, especially the international audience, won't understand that this is an officer training program.
10
Why you ask? That is a very complicated question. Why did the Holocaust happen?
2
It also isn't difficult to heard echos of the Kavanaugh defense in this story. My support goes out to Paige and her family. It's also important to note that the father of one of the boys shows a profound understanding of the specific nightmare that Paige has gotten caught up in. We therefore need to acknowledge that while the anti-antisemitism; anti-female, anti-human, responses reflected here is a societal and not an individual or even merely a local community problem. What a shame that so much potential from all of our young people are so early wasted by the normalization of hatred.
22
I remember growing up surrounded by jew jokes too. The bulk of it came through the gaming/internet community. It has been a staple of the meme-culture now for at least two decades.
It wouldn't surprise me if the sudden increase since 2016 is directly related to state-actors using memes and internet toxicity as a lever to sow disunity. Combined with the mainstreaming of that pre-existing anti-semitic culture in general, I expect we'll see even more of this until schools, governments, social platforms, etc start taking active measures.
10
This is a sad story. As a Jewish woman, parent, & grandparent, I worry about the kind of world we are living in. How can an entire community destroy this accomplished young woman? Hope their lawsuit against the school is successful!
397
@Vicki Hensley
Well put. Worryingly, this type story is becoming more frequent, which, I am convinced, stems from poor education.
10
I just want to add that there's sexism afoot here as well. How many women like Paige have been the target of incidents that the male perpetrators -- when caught -- justify as a joke? The self-excusing inference is that it's the victim's problem because, obviously, she just doesn't have a sense of humor.
547
@Kayson212, I don't think it is sexism. I see a there was a male Jewish student who took the harrassment as "humor." We cannot know, had he complained, if he would have been taken more seriously than Paige was, but I imagine he would have also been subjected to the same ostracism.
I grew up in a different era, and I remember how casually classmates would say anti-semetic things. At that time, sixties and seventies, in the circles I knew, publicly aligning with Nazism would be unthinkable; but mean stereotypy existed. I am not Jewish, but I remember an inward cringe at things people said. I never spoke up.
It takes courage to speak up.
18
@Kayson212:
Just because this exchange involved a male and a female does not make it sexist. The story gave no indication of sexism. If you felt "there's sexism afoot here"... please enlighten me. Please.
For this story, your claim is without basis. Such assumptive beliefs are now causing a major rift in our society, between men and women. All men -- for that matter most men -- are not abusive or predators. However, comments like this generalize with a broad brush. Most men that I know fully support women, women's rights, and equality. Such simplistic arguments claiming "men are bad" hurts us all. Let's stop the automatic "man bashing". Jumping onto this band-wagon is weakening our society. It does help abusive women (they are equally prevalent as abusive men - ask an experienced psychiatrist).
We each have fathers, brothers, sons, male cousins, or male co-workers who can be (and sometimes are) accused falsely by a woman. If an accusing woman's voice is blindly elevated above that of the man, then good men will suffer.
Let's be careful here.
4
@Kayson212 I agree that this seems to reek of sexism in addition to (obviously) antisemitism. It seems like all of the Jewish students quoted and commenting here that they enjoyed their time at MAST all identify as men. The way Paige was targeted as a "snitch" and a tattletale reminds me of how Senator Warren was deemed a "snake" by some in these last few months. A sad and challenging time to be both Jewish and a woman in this country.
27
Its "only a joke" until the shoe is on the other foot. Unfortunately in our 'melting pot' society there will always be bigotry and hate. Even with sensitivity training and education of tolerance for others that are 'different' from ourselves this will not cure hate but its a start. I doubt the current Secretary Of Education, Betsy Devos will take any serious initiatives in this regard. Maybe the removal of the fool in the White House and a Democratic President and Senate can jump start a serious effort in this regard. My sympathies to Paige and her family for having to experience this garbage in the twenty first century. Good God!
10
It may be that, the more remote in time, the less "real" things can seem. For the two main jerks (and the rest of Paige's classmates), I have no doubt that WWII and the Holocaust are just fuzzy facts from the dusty past. They have no emotional or experiential connection to such things, and hence, no empathy.
Parents, teach your children well.
9
Having left NJ many years ago, I had the occasion to be in Monmouth County recently. To say that the socio-economic atmosphere has changed over these many years would be an understatement. As an outsider looking in, I detected a certain kind of tension between ethnic and religious groups.
4
I am a veteran educator of over 40 years. It has been my experience that bullying is not taken seriously. If anything, the perpetrators are given a slap on the wrist. It is appalling that Moore did so little. Was one field trip supposed to be a quick fix? The hate, anger, and anti-Semitism in this story are inexcusable.
12
I think it's important to have a thick skin, and I believe that there's little harm in letting teenagers make offensive jokes as a part of growing up, and even I think these boys' actions were clearly out of line. Offensive jokes are things you say to a close group of friends in the spur of the moment. Going to the trouble of writing the words out in 30-foot letters on a beach shows a total lack of restraint and understanding about how far it's reasonable to take things, and the only way for that to be fixed is to get hit by the reality truck.
13
”In New Jersey alone, bias incidents reported to law enforcement increased by 55 percent between 2016 and 2018, following a decade of decline.”
Hmmm...I wonder what change/factor occurred over this time period...
Everything starts at the top.
13
I grew up in the 1950s in Queens, New York.
My neighborhood and schools were a mixed bag of Protestants, Catholics, and my group, Jews.
I had friends of all religions, and while I don’t know if there was much mixing among the parents, there was no sense of bigotry or not belonging among us kids.
When we Jewish kids were out of school for holidays it was accepted as a matter of course or at most, curiosity.
This was New York, the biggest melting pot in America. I had no idea until I was older that antisemitism still existed in other parts of America.
208
@Jerry Engelbach Also Jewish in Queens, 10 years later. My best friend who had switched to Catholic school told me one day that the priest said we couldn't be friends because I had killed God. I told my Mom, who told his. She beat the heck out of him, telling him not to listen to homosexual in a dress but to listen to his mother. Of course, he then beat the heck out of me. Nonetheless, we stayed friends for a long time, until he died an addict. I heard a lot of racist stuff from his Mom when Jackson Heights went Hispanic but never anything anti-Jewish, though plenty from others from that neighborhood. I think she did the best she knew how, she was worried about drugs, not theology. That's really all you can ask of people.
16
@steven
Queens Village, PS34 1963-67. At that time, about 1 black and 1 Hispanic family per block, probably about the same proportion of Jews, and I had close friends of all groups (though I don't remember seeing a single Asian). I also never heard any disparagement except for 1 kid who had moved from Georgia and liked to say n_____. I don't think I even knew what it meant, and I still have a picture of him at my 8th birthday party in '65, playing with me and my black and brown friends.
As for the "grown ups", though: one day when I was very young my mom and I were walking and we saw a house covered with spray-painted words. I was too young for her to explain it to, and I forgot it completely for 50 years. Then I heard Ta-Nehesi Coates on NPR one day talking about the many ways (from redlining to terrorism) African-Americans have been held back, and I suddenly remembered and understood.
To display a symbol of an organized effort to kill people is terrorism. Perpetrators under age 18 should be given an education and a second chance. "Adults" and 2nd offenders should be treated like the terrorists they are. If anyone wants to joke about terrorism, let them try it at the TSA gate and see how it flys.
22
@Jerry Engelbach I grew up in Brooklyn in the 1960's. Our neighborhood was a mix of mostly Jewish and Catholic families. I remember quite well when one of my friends, a girl who attended the local Good Shepherd School, showed me her Harmon Killebrew baseball card and, laughing, read the name as "Harmon Kill-a-Jew." There was, and still is, plenty of anti-semitism in NYC.
18
When we believe in and kill for things that man made up-expect the consequences.
5
Just a joke? That cop-out is so old it's mentioned in The Bible:
"Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, 'I was only joking'!" - Proverbs 26:18-19
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
6
As a Jewish kid in high school some 60 years ago, I happened to eat in the lunchroom with a group of "rich white trash", aka "RWT", guys during my Junior year. We all happened to be in the same classes just before and after the lunch period.
Some of the "RWT" guys related how they had been at a school dance the previous Friday night when an out of town student started to attack one of their friends whose last name was Weinberg. The out of town student assumed that Weinberg, who was Lutheran, was Jewish and therefore should be beaten.
The "RWT" guys stopped the attack explaining that Weinberg wasn't Jewish. When I asked them if they would have stopped the attack if Weinberg actually was Jewish, there was a long silence. Realizing that I was a Jew asking the question, they eventually said, "Yeah, we probably would have". But the long silence told a different truer answer.
These same "RWT" students also made racist comments about African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians. Their attitudes were home-grown, the result of what they heard and were taught at their homes.
It is reasonable to surmise that the anti anyone unlike themselves attitude was learned, tolerated, perpetuated and encouraged at an early age. The same phenomenon still exists and seems to endemic among many racial, ethnic and religious groups, not just "RWT" ones.
21
Charges of bigotry have become the political currency of the day. Some claims of bigotry can feel like stretches, mere fuel for the tribal power struggles called "identity politics." But sadly, with African Americans and Jews, the vast majority of these incidences strike me as all-too-real.
The antisemitism of the MAST school cuts to the bone. You know it when you see it. Jews number just 12 million worldwide but dwarf other, larger minorities in hate crimes suffered. What Paige's classmates called "jokes" evoke similar "jokes" from every century in the past two millennia, jokes based on the usual tropes that have consistently begetted scapegoating and murder.
Orwell, sort of a reformed anti-Semite, rightly called antisemitism "a neurosis." Neuroses root themselves in the human psyche and get passed down unconsciously. Of course the principal and the other students thought it was all overblown. Theyve probably been so schooled in "micro-aggressions" that they can't recognize the big ones. Besides, the waters run deep. Paige knows.
17
Kudos to Paige and her family. Antisemitism is not a mere "bias incident". And the boys got what they deserved. MAST needs to be taken to task. Time to bring in the JDL. And an effective Holocaust program. Not only for the students, but for the staff and administration. Turning a blind eye is the same as the offenders who bullied Paige and other Jewish classmates. Take a lesson from the principal who was fired in Boca Raton, Florida.
11
High school students are notoriously insensitive and peer relationships trump pretty much everything in their lives. Having said that, so much about this could have been handled differently and both the school and the parents seem not to have understood the seriousness of the situation and the effect their behavior has had.
6
" bias incidents reported to law enforcement increased by 55 percent between 2016 and 2018" Very likely tied to trump's presidency.
12
This comment is late. Thus, I expect few to read it but feel compelled.
Several of the comments resonate. The source of the hate expressed by these students; the poor response of school administrators and teachers; the actions of some of the teachers.
What is going on?! Are these “adults” afraid of loosing their jobs? What is going on in that community that would make them feel this way? Are they worried about the reputation of the school? Well, they picked a poor way of protecting it. Is Trump responsible? He has certainly said things to encourage bigotry in all forms to crawl out from under the rocks, but had to be there in the first place to crawl out.
The only positives in this article are the comment by the father of one of the boys saying they are not the victims and that this is being taken seriously by the state attorney general’s office. I am not so naive to think that bigotry can be eliminated but it can be mitigated. Especially when dealing with minors - children, I am a proponent of the broken window theory of preventing crime. A strong response to minor infractions by minors can go a long way.
As for the teachers and Mr. Moore, they should all be summarily dismissed. They are not minors. And all the parents of the students in this school should do some serious self reflection as a group to determine where this started and how it was allowed to thrive in the shadows and eventually in sunlight.
10
I'll never understand how anyone can possibly find genocide, or reminding the relatives of victims about it, amusing.
Perhaps we need to do a better job of teaching compassion and empathy along with world history.
14
@nom de guerre
Sorry, nom, wrong country.
Here in America we talk about compassion and empathy (a lot), just like some of us prattle on and on about Christianity.
Look deeper and you'll find it is often a cover for heinous behavior, corporate or individual, that no one who understands any of those terms would ever abide.
Try Canada, maybe.
Down here, we're all about the bucks. And the power to dominate.
9
Context is sorely lacking here.
What is this bizarre quasi-military school in the first place?
What kind of parents pay money to send their children there instead of to public schools? (And, by the way, how many students there were previously encouraged to depart public schools for "incompatibility challenges" aka disciplinary problems?)
Furthermore, lest it be wrongly assumed that parents are 100% of the problem, what websites, games, apps, and so on are those warped young minds frequenting (addicted to), etc. and what teachers and administrators doing to help their students learn basic history (including the history or racial prejudice, anti-Semitism, bigotry, etc.), basic civics, and how their generation is being systematically preyed upon by Silicon Valley and the "dark side" sites that use its surveillance networks for hate-mongering?
2
To paraphrase some famous person of letters I would say, not only to the students involved but also to the principal, teachers and parents who defended them and claimed that there was certainly no anti-Semitism involved here : Your actions are speaking so loudly, it's hard to hear your pathetic excuses.
17
Colin K. took a knee for all of the people of color who have been murdered. We now live in an acceptance of Jim Crow, concentration camps and murder.
I look at the parents and remember the old South Pacific Song "You have to be taught" carefully taught. People no matter how old they are, make decisions to be bigots and haters.
Evil takes over when no one does anything, minorities and Jewish people know the horrors of concentration camps, lynching's and the horrors that white people can put on minorities via policies. Talk to president Wilson he was a hater of everyone who wasnt white.
10
I am a long time immigrant in this country and I have visited almost every state and chatted with a vast number of people and I can tell you one thing for certain. The traditional WASP establishment in the US is virulently Anti-Semitic and has always been as such. Just read Charles Dickens and Walter Scott and see what Anglo people think about Jews and Judaism.The most powerful chapter of the KKK is not located in Alabama or Georgia but in Connecticut. The main reason that American Anti-Semites hated Hitler was the fact that a mere corporal who became Chancellor of Germany turned their economic theories to dust by creating the most efficient economic and military machine in history using principles based on socialism, something that it is an anathema to the God ordained economic system of Anglo-Saxon capitalism.The true american old money elite is just using the high intelligence of the Jewish people to serve their economic interests and if something goes wrong another Holocaust will take place.The true money elites always find convenient scapegoats
5
This type of behavior unfortunately has been normalized during the presidency of Trump. From the very beginning of his presidency, Trump demonstrated, as evidenced by his remarks following the Neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, his tacit support of anti-Semites, racists and bullies.
However, some of Trump's biggest financial backers are Jewish. To them, his unconditional support of Netanyahu's regime has legitimized him in the eyes of those Jews, who consider unwavering support of Israel's policies as an acid test of being a Jew. Therefore, it is important, as part of an overall strategy against Trump, to bring pressure against those Jews, who are financial supporters of Trump.
Lastly, the principal of MAST should have been fired as well as those teachers, who allowed this anti-Semitic behavior to take place in their classes or school activities. Additionally, that school district should institute a policy of expulsion against any student found to have taken part in Anti-Semitic, racist or hate-related behavior. Only then will the message be sent, loud and clear, that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in the our schools.
7
@Pierce Rhoads Well said! Trump somehow forgets that his grandchildren are Jewish. But of course as he said, "there are good people on both sides."... I'll never understand the staunch Trumpettes who are Jewish.
7
@Yael He meant that the patriots on the right as opposed to the bigots of same right. Nothing wrong with that. Mevina?
@Randy There were no patriots marching in Charlottesville that day in 2017. Those were Nazis. Stop defending Nazis.
1
"...because two teachers had laughed when pronouncing a student’s last name, Guiffre, as “Jew-Frey.”
“I wouldn’t want a last name like that,” she recalled one teacher saying. The same teacher would later recommend “Mein Kampf” to her class as a great book, Paige said.
This 'teacher' should have been named as he/she is presumably over 18 years old, there is no right to privacy here. If the Principal, school board and parents are OK with having Mein Kampf as part of the curriculum they shouldn';t hide it.
17
The one thing that stood out to me is what Paige said.
Many people claimed “it was a stupid joke”.
Well, if it was a stupid joke, why didn’t anyone apologize to her?
7
Most of this stems from the Trump Era, and it’s not just the Jewish community - it’s the black community, the gay community, the Latin community, and so on.
Accordingly, how any self-respecting Jew can support Trump boggles the mind.
“First, they came for the Jews...”
6
This is bullying and bigotry. Please don't sugar coat it. Shame on the school for its ham handed handling of this disgraceful incident.
3
As a child of a holocaust survivor, this story sickened me,
The school should be shuttered as antisemitism is endemic there.college.
How about assigning the 2 kids 2 years of quality service to a jewish organization before they can go to college?
And having them send a sweeping letter of apology to all their schoolmates
4
The sad thing with this school is that no-one was teaching empathy. To immature, callous teenagers a rock with 'adolf' on it is just an internet meme, a 'hilarious' joke. They need to be taught social-emotional skills and learn how to build empathy to understand that for descendants of survivors or anyone whose cultural identity connects to the Holocaust, it's not possible to joke about it. Would they like it if people made memes and jokes about 9/11?
But they got into Cornell and NYU. So my guess is they will never learn about consequences for their actions. They will continue on their way, callous and immature, bullying anyone weaker than them. Who knows, they might even end up on the Supreme Court or in the White House some day.
3
This school is clearly beyond redemption as, it appears, is this woebegone community.
Whatever purpose the school set out to serve has clearly been lost, as has its reason to exist. It is a training ground for elitism and discrimination and, seriously, needs to be shuttered.
On the other hand, there is an element of disturbing self-righteousness to some of these comments that is disturbing. Considering the not insignificant community of Jews who continue to support Trump because of his cynical use of policies favorable to Israel, its clear there are Jews who also fail to understand the damage done by this hideous behavior.
If you see a benefit in supporting hateful people, you are the problem and you forfeit your right to complain. This is what you voted for. Enjoy, and be quiet.
Most distressing is the military connection to this nest of bigots. How on earth is it acceptable for such a vile place to align itself with our armed forces? How do the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and the others countenance this?
How do they justify encouraging vile behavior in this manner?
I suspect, given the shameless spread of ultra-right wing "Christian" ideology in service academies and among some commands, this is not a wholly frowned-upon.
These are dangerous times around here, and those of whatever persuasion who countenance it for some unrelated advantage are as much a source of the problem as these little boy bigots and those who trained them.
1
When you have a President who encourages this kind of behavior what do people really expect will happen? Trump has opened Pandora's box and it will take a great deal of time to close it. He and He alone has encouraged every type of racist hater to emerge from the shadow, and with the help of their Trump Supporting parents, we get stories like this every day. Will Trump be rejected for encouraging the disintegration of American society? Highly doubtful. Money speaks louder than words and as long as the stock market keeps them happy, Trump supporters are all in. I still don't quite understand how the Jewish vote can see the trade off of supporting Trump for the sake of Israel at the expense of their own safety in the US will work favorably for them in the long run.
5
@KB
I am not a Trump supporter but you make it sound like racism, bigotry and anti semitism didn't exist before Trump became president. Anti semitism had been rampant all over Europe long before 2016 and racism in the US...need I continue ?
1
As a Jew, raised in the Bay Area in the 50's and 60's this was commonplace. I was a pretty meek kid so I just sucked it up. But, it was humiliating and depressing. I didn't realize until years later the effect it had had on me. Informed by the past, now, I take an extremely aggressive posture. If I hear something...as a Jew..I do something. I don't know if this is sensible or right...but it sure feels good.Ignorance is all around us. Sometimes the ignorant party is open to suggestion and education...sometimes not.
7
@Harley Leiber I experienced the same in the early 80s. In middle school it was something that unfortunately happened frequently, especially penny throwing. Curious what effects it had on you later?
1
So even the Times, who has no problem talking about Paige by name and potentially furthering the harrassment in her direction doesn't want to mention the boys because they were minors? Holy gaslighting, NYTimes. Great way to continue making her the outsider. This wasn't some subtle anti-Semitism that could be "explained away" with the ignorance of a word or concept, but a photo of a boy laying next to the words "I H8 Jews." Could it GET any clearer or more anti-Semitic?
10
It is not her real name, as explained in the story.
As we used to say back in H.S.: “gross!”
"Paige, he said, had gotten his friends into serious trouble over what they felt was a stupid joke. "
I suppose Auschwitz was only a stupid joke as well. No, no. Racism, antisemitism and hate has to be stopped at every level otherwise it becomes the horrific monster we thought we had defeated 70 years ago.
6
And the one we have now!
I'm a Jewish Cornell grad (AB and MD) and happy that Cornell kicked them out.
10
I am a non-Jewish Cornell grad and I’m also thrilled Cornell withdrew his acceptance.
4
“Albert J. Rescinio, a lawyer for the boy who sent the photo, said “a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke” made when his client was 16 did not justify “attempting to ruin or derail the life of a young man.”
It’s reasoning like that that causes the problems to continue. “This tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke” made by these boys that denigrate another is attempting to ruin or derail the life of a young woman. Being 16 years old is not a legitimate excuse for saying racially/anti-Semitic things that affect others. It’s amazing how blind some people can be. Not to mention how anyone could consider being pro-Hitler is not outrageous.
6
We Jews should not pushed around so easily; we know what happens when we are not firm in the face of hatred and prejudice.
4
The "joke" is the way anti-semitism reared its syphilitic head in Nazi Germany. Start with little caricatures of Jewish noses and antisemitic cartoons and proceed with mass genocide.
History is trying to repeat in the US and Europe. Will we let it? The Southern Poverty Law Center gets it right: Tolerance must be taught, because unfortunately tribalism is an inherent characteristic of human behavior.
If the Jewish people or any other tragically blamed ethnic group were to vanish to another world, the remaining human race on Earth would find another group to scapegoat, hate, and harm. If Earth were invaded by vicious aliens from outer space, maybe humans of all backgrounds would recognize our common values and make a better attempt to live in respect of one another.
Paige's family did a heroic thing. The offenders should do serious public service in the cause of eradicating bigotry. They should research the work of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, the civil rights activists killed in MS in 1964 by the Klan. Those who do not study history will repeat its tragic mistakes over and over again.
Yes, it can, and is starting to, happen here.
5
Paige, I am sorry you had to go through this terrible experience. These outrageous anti-semitic incidents does not surprise me. Where did these 2 boys learn that kind of behavior was acceptable? What kind of homes did these kids come from for them to think this was okay? This is a teachable lesson for Jews. Kids are the canaries in the coal mines. Anti-Semitism is a blight that rears it's ugly head even in the most "educated" and "sophisticated" circles.
I had a problem in Steamboat Springs Colorado. The president of the city council, Kevin Bennett, a convicted felon, lived next door to me. He wanted to run us out of town, and did, because we owned land that was the only access to vacant land that he wanted to sell. He built an extra house with two bathrooms but city officials lied and claimed it was only a 217 s.f. office.
The sons of his friends went after my son. He was attacked by three kids on the playground at school. Another time kids brought dirty motor oil to school and poured it on his head on the bus. Another time he was beaten by three boys on his way home. Another time he was attacked by a boy 5 years older than himself. He was also ostracized, meaning no kids would speak to him for months. We did not even own a gun, but kids and parents spread the rumor that I had threatened Bennett's wife with a gun.
Officials refused to do anything to help my son. The other kids got no significant punishment. And to this date, city attorney Daniel Foote claims that the extra house at 701 Princeton Ave. is only 217 s.f. even though the assessor said it is 1, 409 s.f.
1
They hurt a fellow student and rationalize it and consider themselves victims.
Hitler and Nazi symbols are from the worst, most disgraceful time in history. I think that principals and sympathizers must not know this, they must see it all as political.
But the Holocaust, to those who understand what happened, was a total nightmare for the Jewish people which involved a strong occupying military progressively insulting, torturing, exploiting and viciously killing so many Jews. Children watched their parents intimidated, they were trapped in cattle cars with human waste and deceased victims, they watched their parents brought away to be killed or were immediately killed upon arrival at insane murder camps where flags flowed in the wind with those swastikas and blond haired men who worshiped Adolf Hitler commanded from watch towers over the elderly, women, children and exhausted male victims.
3
I'd prefer to read the article first before commenting just from the title. But, all of our schools need to have the goal of being prejudice free zones as a higher priority than academics, because you can't learn if your brsin is emotionally hijacked.
Big lesson for the racist kids: Actions have consequences.
Hopefully, you have learned your lesson.
Just a silly joke, right? Well the joke is on the h8ters. No preferred universities for you two h8ters.
The bizarre thing is NYU and Cornell both have rather large percentages of Jewish students and professors.
1
"Albert J. Rescinio, a lawyer for the boy who sent the photo" proclaiming that he hates Jews, characterized the photo as "a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke.”
Wow. That's some cheek. How about this Mr. Rescino: "I hate --------- [fill in the blank with an ethnic slur appropriate to the Rescinio family's ethnic heritage]." Still got that tongue in your cheek? Still think it's a joke?
7
This is a very sad story about a girl who was bullied and shunned by classmates because she was Jewish and dared to inform her parents. The anger and outrage over that situation pales in comparison to the disgust we all should feel towards an incompetent and insensitive school principal and an administration comprised of officials who apparently harbor anti-Semitic impulses.
No one can undo the pain caused by the people who had a duty to protect a teenage girl, but a hefty damages award and cleaning house at the school district can send a strong message that no decent American, whether Jewish or not, will allow this official misconduct.
4
How many maga hat wearing teachers and students were involved? That school needs to go the way of trump university.
3
@Armo - Since they think they're so great, let them pay a fee to cover that burden on the rest of us. Yes, TAX them !!!
2
“There were a few people who were a little bit nonprogressive that would say some things that were not O.K.,” said one classmate, now 19, who, like all the students, asked not to be identified. “It doesn’t make my whole school bad.” - true, what makes the whole school bad is that no one, NOT ONE PERSON in her class, stood by her. The demonstrated lack of compassion is the problem. A stupid prank is just that but the reaction of her classmates is appalling and perhaps symptomatic a greater evil evolving in our society.
11
Don't these kids have parents? Adolescents can be incredibly stupid, acting like pack animals, seeking each others' attention and approval. That's why they still need parental guidance.
I remember coming home from school as a 12 year old, repeating an ethnic slur I'd heard at school that day, thinking I was being funny. My father read me the riot act, and taught me that kind of language is totally unacceptable, and that it is never funny under any circumstances. His response made a deep impression on me, and I am so grateful for his guidance.
This was back in the late 60's. It's sickening that this is happening in 2020.
8
Trump. He has legitimized white superiority as making America great again. In this State, of all States, there must be an example set. The entire Administration of this school should be removed and replaced. All students involved should be expelled. Zero tolerance should be implemented unconditionally.
5
Parents that claim it was an "innocent" teen joke need reeducation and intervention. Everyone knows kids pack their home environment into their school bag when they leave in the morning
4
I’m not a stupid person, and I am generally considered to have a good sense of humor. However, I fail to see how a boy(presumably white) lying on a beach next to “I H8 Jews” written in the sand can in any way be taken as a joke. It’s not funny, and it doesn’t seem like any of the boys defenders really understand what “tongue-in-cheek” actually means. What, exactly, was the intended joke? Unfortunately the excuse of a hurtful comment being “just a joke” is used all the time by misogynists, racists, and bigots of every stripe. It’s a way of gaslighting the victim and placing the blame for any consequences squarely on the victims shoulders. It’s definitely a form of bullying and was obviously it was used to great affect at MAST. It needs to stop. Next time you hear someone say something hurtful then claim it was just a joke, ask them to explain the joke. See if they can.
17
As a black woman in the process of converting to Judaism, I get the "Lighten up; it's just a joke!" response quite often. I don't know why I'd never before thought to ask for an explanation of the alleged joke. Thank you for the meaningful comment and excellent advice.
6
@Fannie Price - Yes, we have prisons for those of us that act out anti-social behavior for profit or fun. Exactly.
1
I love the part where you write "I h8 jews" on the beach, and then take a smiling selfie next to it, and then send it out as a group text joking that it should be the cover of your yearbook, and then say "I am not anti-semitic."
Like, was there no part during that multi-minute process where he thought, "Although, this does seem a lot like what an anti-semite WOULD do!"
8
Any form of blatant open prejudice would appeal to the "bully " personality when it clearly upsets the target of the bullying. People become bullies to build up their egos---making themselves feel bigger while making the other person feel smaller. That Jews are a convenient target for such irresponsible behavior has a long history. Of course, what these kids did was anti-Semitic, but I am certain that they would find some other kid---someone who is different and highly sensitive to being ridiculed--to bully even if there were no Jews around. A bully is a bully. In the case of anti-Semitism, considering its long history, it may become the excuse for jumping from simply making fun of the Jew to doing actual harm, even deadly harm.. All bullying is serious and should be condemned and punished, and certainly anti-Semitism should be so treated.
2
Perhaps the boys will learn something from all this and, in the future, put what they learn to good use educating other kids about anti-Semitism. However, while that might provide an earned, positive future for them, it must be recognized that their behavior did not spring solely from them. The adults in their community, family, teachers, and others, bare a substantial responsibility for, in one way or another, providing role models these boys thought it appropriate to emulate.
What I find most amazing is that none of the most recommended Readers Picks seeks to try to tie it all in to Israel, a common thread in most stories relating to anti-Semitism, as well as Jews in general. Maybe the readers who usually do that have been too busy at work on coronavirus stories, blaming the disease on Israel and its spread in America on Jewish supporters of Trump.
Obviously Cornell's and N.Y.U.'s standards for intelligence have gone way down since my college days, if they now accept someone so stupid that he does not realize the implications of putting that picture on the internet.
6
Shut down the school and fire the entire staff. Shake up the entire realm. Students, too.
This is a systemic problem that if anyone in authority denies, is a liar. There’s no way administration and teachers didn’t know what was going on. Even the custodial staff and bus drivers had to know.
This isn’t a one-off teenage lapse of judgement, this is a product of an embedded anti-Jewish culture in this school, and a disgrace what this student and family had to do endure.
7
Perhaps the boys will learn something from all this and, in the future, put what they learn to good use educating other kids about anti-Semitism. However, while that might provide an earned, positive future for them, it must be recognized that their behavior did not spring solely from them. The adults in their community, family, teachers, and others, bare a substantial responsibility for, in one way or another, providing role models these boys thought it appropriate to emulate.
What I find most amazing is that none of the most recommended Readers Picks seeks to try to tie it all in to Israel, a common thread in most stories relating to anti-Semitism, as well as Jews in general. Maybe the readers who usually do that have been too busy at work on coronavirus stories, blaming the disease on Israel and its spread in America on Jewish supporters of Trump.
Obviously Cornell's and N.Y.U.'s standards for intelligence have gone way down since my college days, if they now accept someone so stupid that he does not realize the implications of putting that picture on the internet.
2
It is clear to me that the MAST community has learned nothing—NOTHING—from this series of events. Kids, parents, the school district—none of them are owning what is an obvious culture of hatred and racism. Karma, baby. Karma.
8
The population of that school must be strictly diverse with white Christians the minority. Do the blue eye brown eye exercise. Stop the hate.
1
I’m tired of hearing about teenage boys “jokes” that demean others being dismissed as youthful indiscretions. How is hate speech just boyish behavior? If not going to Cornell or NYU “ruined their lives” perhaps they need to re-evaluate their priorities. Imagine being a Jewish parent sending their child off to college whose roommate who thinks “I H8 Jews” is funny. High schools that permit this kind of behavior deserve to end up in the NYT. Not so funny anymore is it?
11
Perhaps the boys will learn something from all this and, in the future, put what they learn to good use educating other kids about anti-Semitism. However, while that might provide an earned, positive future for them, it must be recognized that their behavior did not spring solely from them. The adults in their community, family, teachers, and others, bare a substantial responsibility for, in one way or another, providing role models these boys thought it appropriate to emulate.
What I find most amazing is that none of the most recommended Readers Picks seeks to try to tie it all in to Israel, a common thread in most stories relating to anti-Semitism, as well as Jews in general. Maybe the readers who usually do that have been too busy at work on coronavirus stories, blaming the disease on Israel and its spread in America on Jewish supporters of Trump.
Obviously Cornell's and N.Y.U.'s standards for intelligence have gone way down since my college days, if they now accept someone so stupid that he does not realize the implications of putting that picture on the internet.
1
Even with a prompt, I cannot figure out where the joke or the sarcasm in the picture comes in.
2
Horrible, sickening. I couldn't continue to read it. The so-called adults were worse or as bad as the students. A teacher remembers Mein Kampf, but not Gentlemen's Agreement? That no one grasped the effects of their actions demonstrates callous, ingrained racism transmitted from one generation to another. No rationalizations can excuse this racist behavior.
10
Perhaps the boys will learn something from all this and, in the future, put what they learn to good use educating other kids about anti-Semitism. However, while that might provide an earned, positive future for them, it must be recognized that their behavior did not spring solely from them. The adults in their community, family, teachers, and others, bare a substantial responsibility for, in one way or another, providing role models these boys thought it appropriate to emulate.
What I find most amazing is that none of the most recommended Readers Picks seeks to try to tie it all in to Israel, a common thread in most stories relating to anti-Semitism, as well as Jews in general. Maybe the readers who usually do that have been too busy at work on coronavirus stories, blaming the disease on Israel and its spread in America on Jewish supporters of Trump.
Obviously Cornell's and N.Y.U.'s standards for intelligence have gone way down since my college days, if they now accept someone so stupid that he does not realize the implications of putting that picture on the internet.
2
Im not jewish and I don't have any sympathy for the boys involved or the kids who backed them. My grandfather was at the rear of the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940. From there he got to witness Nazi tanks killing civilian women and children. By the time he got off a ship in England his hair had turned white and for the rest of his life it stayed white and he suffered mysterious stomach and nerve complaints (it didn't help that he was a royal engineer and his best friend immediately volunteered both of them for bomb disposal duties).
If a 16 year old kid can make pro Nazi comments - even as a joke - then it shows that kid has been poorly educated, poorly brought up, and is in a low quality environment. The school needs to be cleaned out so adults can teach the kids at this school properly.
8
It was not a joke.
It is what nasty people call a joke as part of their bragging and sneering about their being nasty.
Water finds its own level.
7
People don't react this strongly when this type of stuff happens to black kids. I just want to know, what is the reason, no matter how dumb, that anyone would make fun of someone Jewish as opposed to a Muslim, a Hindi, a Jehovah's witness? Are kids today REALLY aware of the old stereotypes about Jewish people? Who talks these things? The parents? comedians?(not anymore). I just don't get it. I think that it's just something so sensitive to everyone right now that it's almost a daring thing to say something forbidden, this I believe has some strange appeal to the young and immature. Please ask them why they hate Jews, they won't even know.
5
@C. Bernard I see your point about the appeal of "saying something forbidden." However, spreading hatred of any group, blacks, Jews, women, gays, is just as bad as feeling it. No one should empower the haters.
1
@C. Bernard people react much stronger when it happens to a black kid or Muslim. Unfortunately much anti-Semitism is coming from these two groups and the reaction and consequences are nonexistent. Please stop weaponizing Jewish suffering for false narratives that claim that we're being treated better than blacks and Muslims when we're not. Exactly the opposite.
It's odd that many northerners speak of Southern racism as if it doesn't happen there. The school should have taken further steps to stop this behavior. I worked in a high school and know kids that age can be guilty of some pretty stupid stuff but this goes beyond stupid to cruel. It appears that Paige was singled out. If that had happened in our schools there would have been strong immediate steps to correct this. I think steps could have been taken to bring students together and avoid the bad outcome.
3
To parents who find Donald Trump a suitable role model for their children: This is what you get.
9
So antisemitism is normalized as equaling “nonprogressive”.
Utter nonsense.
The boys were enabled by community behavior.
It was not a tongue-in-cheek message. They did not write “i h8 mondays”. They did not write “i h8 martians”.
They knew exactly what they were doing.
They assumed there would be no consequences.
They were wrong.
They missed a chance to go to the college of their choice. They will have to go elsewhere. If they are contrite, stop making stupid mistakes and learn to understand others, they can still succeed in the world.
Moore needed to stand up for Paige, stand on a desk if needed, and make it clear in no uncertain terms to all parents that the hate stops now or they go elsewhere. Then parents choose to be civilized and teach their children the same or leave that community. Half measures are what bigots and bullies rely on.
718
@JP Exactly. Great response.
30
@JP Actually, the boys eventually went to the college of their choice. It was the young woman who compromised on that.
10
@Kelley McDonald That college should have its accreditation revoked!
8
"They say they are not anti-Semitic"
Which part of "I h8 jews" is not anti-semitic?
They won school awards and were accepted into Cornell and New York University.
For shame Cornell and NYU.
9
Evidently money still speaks and lack of ethics and morals in supposedly Places of higher education couldn’t care less. And the leaders of our country will come out of these schools. And we wonder how Trump got in.
1
We were all 16 once. Not all of us chose to make fun of other people or say hurtful things, let alone make anti-Semitic (or racist, sexist, homophobic, etc.) comments. If a 16 year old drinks and drives, steals, cheats on the SATs, or makes a comment like this, yes it will follow them for years to come. 16 is not kindergarten. “S/he didn’t know any better” is ridiculous.
8
It's a joke can't you take a joke? The traditional dodge of every bully who is caught. It becomes the target's fault for not going along. I have no doubt this young woman will continue to excel and thrive at whatever school she chooses and in her career. While the little bullies' only chance will be to land a visit to a Jersey Shore episode where their bigotry and hatred can be on full display and then fade into earned obscurity.
8
@The East Wind Agree, and if forced to apologize, the culprits will say "I didn't realize you were so sensitive" or "I'm sorry that you found my actions offensive" -- again putting the victim at fault.
4
As someone who grew up in the PNW, and is now a young father, age 32, I’m constantly confused why Anti-Semitism is still around in the USA. I didn’t grow up around Jewish people, and didn’t hear anti-Semitic jokes. Call me ignorant, but how have derogatory acts go on in our society? I thought we would’ve all learned about WW2 and Jewish persecution by now.
I wonder how the school would’ve reacted if the words “I h8 Muslims” or “I h8 Asians” would’ve reacted to.
11
“There were a few people who were a little bit non-progressive” is a sickening comment in response to numerous examples of obvious and blatant anti-semitism. Call it what it is. It’s called racism. This entire school community should be ashamed to allow and enable this behavior. I hope this family and brave young woman win their lawsuit. The anti-semitism displayed by these teachers should have led to their removal from the classroom. In response to other comments here, as a long time history teacher, yes we do still teach history in our schools. These views are passed to these teens from their families, enabled by their ignorant social cliques - then, to top it off, they are enabled and entitled by the racist in the White House.
6
Anyone bringing up that Anti Semitism is happening more because of Trump is doing a disservice to help stop the root causes of hatred
Anti Semitism has been going on for Centuries not because of the last 3 years . now we are just hearing what has been going in the Shadows to Jews and people feel safer to reporting it out loud .
5
Some things just don't change.
I spent my elementary school years growing up in Manhattan and attending a liberal private school.
In the summer of 1969 my family moved to Greenwich, CT. Regarding Judaism and religious/cultural Jewish values, my family was fairly secular, and due to the small size of our local synagogue, I wasn't given the opportunity to learn Hebrew and to become a Bat Mitzvah. But...
I will never forget the anti-Semitic gestures that began in junior high school.
Politically, my parents were thoughtful and progressive, and I followed suit. When I voiced my opinion regarding President Nixon and Watergate to a good friend, she called me a "Commie." Peers would come up to me and say things like: "They could run the olympic ski jump off of your nose," and when it came time to celebrate Passover, my mother would pack a bag lunch containing matzoh. After pulling it out of my brown paper bag, supposed "friends" would approach my table and attempt to throw bread into my mouth.
There was a Jewish boy in my class who's name was Lenny, and you'd better believe that his nickname around junior high was "Lenny the Penny."
In the early 1970s, Jews were also barred entrance/membership to the Greenwich country clubs, so they simply decided to build their own.
the antisemitism in Greenwich was so pervasive, that by the time I departed for my Freshman year of college in 1976, there was a part of me that was ashamed of being Jewish.
10
@Gazelle759
There are many desirable communities in the New York metro area with substantial Jewish populations that live comfortably with acceptance. Why did your parents choose to move to Greenwich?
The next time something like this happens, someone should contact Mrs. Trump. She has dedicated herself to advocating for and protecting students against ignorant bullies.
8
Say their names. Similar to people who assault others, say their names. Name the racist, the abuser, the assaulter, the rapist. If people knew they were to be named for public shaming, they'd think twice about doing and saying what they know to be wrong. And if they don't know it's wrong, they soon will learn quickly. One has to educate quickly to snuff out hatred. The village needs to parent! Say their names.
8
The overriding goal should be to vote Trump and as many of his bootlicking Russian cronies out of office as possible. They have betrayed our country and need to go.
5
And they are *still* only concerned about the costs *to them* from this--the reputational damage to their community. The community didn't emerge unscathed *because you raised your boys to be anti-Semitic.* What part of that is so hard to understand?
1
Trump's election, the election of the person who says what a lot of gutless, angry people want to say, unleashed this kind of stuff. And it's easy to go after a small group that stands out. I'm almost 65 and my family's been here almost 120 years, but we're always outsiders and apparently always will be. And people like Adelson and Kushner will find this out sooner or later. We have no children. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a Jewish parent or grandparent these days. I've given up on expecting anti-semitism to disappear, or that enough people will stand up when it counts. Around 20 years ago, I chastised some fellow Jews for telling nasty, stereotypical jokes on the Net about Jewish women. One of the things I said was that, besides simply being horrible, the jokes gave ammunition to anti-semites. Most of the responses were like, a little paranoid, are we? Turns out I was kind of prescient.
Anyway, if a teacher gives out Mein Kampf to be read anywhere except in a controlled environment, as a demonstration of evil propaganda, they should fire his a-s in a heartbeat. What other response is appropriate?
3
I am currently a senior at this school and I can say that I think this whole situation has been blown way out of proportion. I can say that the situation with her last name was definitely not accurate. Also, a history teacher sis recommend reading Mein Kampf to our class. She said that if you wanted to learn more about WWII and about Hitlers intentions, she highly recommended reading it, as it taught a lot about it. I think that this school should not be sued and that this article does not include all the information, and is clearly biased towards Paige.
3
@Sarah Butcher Then you need to write a well reasoned rebuttal, please, I would like to see one. But please make it thorough, there is alot here to discuss, not only anti Semitism, there is a lack of compassion evident as well,speak up, people are very interested in what you have to say.
5
@Sarah Butcher And you would prefer it be biased towards the anti-Semitic jerks and their enablers? Enablers like you who think that these kinds of DELIBERATELY hateful activities are "blown out of proportion". Under what circumstances could these EVER be viewed as harmless and inoffensive?
3
@Sarah Butcher - As a society, we have built prisons to house the anti-social among us. It seems that we might want to tax them, as well.
1
Even if was just a 'joke', these 'jokes' add fuel to the fire of dangerous antisemitic individuals & their groups. Some things are not to be joked about (IF it was just a joke).
4
What you believe, appearance, skin color, language, where you're from, are all superficial. "Beware lest ye offend any heart" is the best advice parents can give to their children.
2
What exactly makes this a 'magnet' school? A magnet for hate, intolerance, badly raised kids with good grades and teachers who condone and contribute to ignorance and hate? Teachers!!! I can't get my head around this in 2020. Magnet school, elite! Seriously. Who on earth would allow their kids to go to this school now? What College accepts this school on their application after this has come to light. Imagine this school's name on a job application. Who are these kids' friends? Neighbors? Pastors? Priests?
Praise be the NYT because, without you, this story never gets told.
I expect that after this article is read, and shared, and reshared, the polarity of this magnet will greatly change.
With hate crime rising so much, and this is what an elite, magnet school does, in NJ no less, then every Jew, African American, Muslim, Middle Easterner, Asian, LGBTQ...list goes on, should arm themselves, learn how to shoot and be prepared to defend your lives. To chant "never again" is only as strong as our collective ability to stand firmly and if necessary, combatively against it. In this case, epic FAIL.
Maybe 'never again' has started, again.
5
This is such a terrible story which brought me back to my childhood when I was bullied and called a "dirty Jew' so often I was afraid to go to school. The beach photo "I h8 Jews" is described by the 2 boys in the photo as a "teenage lapse in judgment and a sarcastic joke" and they said they were "not anti-Semitic". The fact that they have the nerve to say this proves there's a huge problem in New Jersey.
8
not getting into Cornell didn't ruin your life, being anti-semitic did. Actions and hate that you perpetuated, that you chose to adopt, knowing the harmful consequences. why shouldn't these boys face the consequences now?
6
It is unconscionable that this should happen to anyone. One day it is religious hatred, another, it is racial hatred and another, it will anti LGBT. It is shameful to read about something like this happening so close to my old home town. The kids and teacher should have been punished. Why were the boys allowed to graduate? Why didn't the schools help her and, instead force her to be homeschooled? Trump has allowed all of the terrible genies out if the bottle. He has unleashed those ugly demons that were behind us or so we thought. This is a "never again" moment in our history. The hatred must stop for the sake of our democracy.
4
@Newport5 - Some time in prison seems justfiable for such anti-social behavior.
I am absolutely horrified by the events depicted in this article, although I am not surprised. Growing up in New York’s public schools, I have personally encountered hate speech and antisemitic behavior that people dismiss as "stupid jokes." Teenagers learn these horrendous views from their parents and social media and it MUST be condemned by everyone everywhere. Actions have consequences, and those "boys" should have thought very hard about their actions. They will learn to live with the consequences.
7
My late uncle, a professor at Berkeley, was a genius. More to the point, his politics were way to the right of average there, (though to the left of average across the USA) and he insisted on calling it as he saw it. He was a WWII vet and had seen the big wide world afterwards too. I remember getting drunk with him after the Berlin Wall came down and he accurately predicted the several trajectories of the various East Block countries based not on prejudice but on what were cultural and socially acceptable norms, i.e the Velvet Czech Revolution, the brutal bloodbath in Romania, the genocidal horrors in Yugoslavia. I think this diagnostic tool- specifically what is publicly acceptable and what is not- is one of the best predictors of how groups will behave and evolve, and we should use it without being labeled "prejudiced". For example, when he was a kid in Brooklyn, some of the most violent murderous criminal gangs in NYC were Jewish. However, it was never cool to be that guy in the public Jewish community, and they pretty much disappeared after the war, whereas Mafia-type organizations persisted among other NYC ethnicities whose members were not ostracized. As much as I regret derailing a kid's education over parroting his racist family, I firmly believe bringing their abuse of this young woman out into the open and making pariahs of the perps is truly the only thing that will help stamp out racism in the long run.
3
I can only imagine what Black kids must go through or any other students whose difference is immediately visible.
12
This kind of behavior is, of course, disgusting. But those boys didn’t learn that language and attitude from Mr. Rogers or Sesame Street. They learned it at home and in their community. That’s where change really needs to take place.
18
This month's issue of 'The Sun' literary magazine has a very telling and interesting interview with Randy Blazak on why white supremacy continues. Thought-provoking and informative read (just like all issues of The Sun).
1
Say their names. Similar to people who assault others, say their names. Name the abuser. If people knew they were to be named for public shaming, they'd think twice about doing and saying what they know to be wrong. And if they don't know it's wrong, they soon will learn quickly. One has to educate quickly to snuff out hatred. The village needs to parent! Say their names.
13
Paige story sadly fits the classic narrative of bullying or sexual misconduct.
I have done a bullying project several years ago. I also working sexual misconduct project now.
I focused my research on k-12. It’s a classic cycle of how we go from low to high severity.
Kids get bullied or assaulted. Kids complain. School administrators ignore and/or normalize the behavior.
Bullying persist and even intensify. Parents attempt to intervene. School administrators attempt to silence/ignore/lip service the parents as well. School officials refuse to take meaningful action. The bullying intensifies. The victims then suffers anxiety, depression, isolation, and sometime thoughts of suicide....
Parents sue or move schools. This is the cycle that emboldened school officials to engage in underground practices, and bullying to intensify.
We need change in education codes and laws. The failure of school officials to protects kids is well documented issue by GAO, government accountability office.
Most often the offensive behavior can be stopped if school officials take appropriate measures.
But the problem intensifies due to the school officials underground practices.
School officials who knowingly and deliberately fail to address the issue effectively should be held personally accountable. Huge fines with some jail time. I’m sure we will see some tremendous reductions in these behaviors.
(Excuse my typos or grammar since English is my fifth language)
4
I am so sorry that students had to live through that situation. I think the situation will remain in that school until the people who claim “I’m not anti Semitic” learn that, yes, they are, and they need to change. The teachers have a special responsibility to make the school safe for all students and that didn’t happen at MAST. My heart breaks.
4
This is such a shock, I had no idea antisemitism is so prevalent and out in the open among young people. Thanks to the Times for this article, for raising my awareness. My eldest daughter was a victim of antisemitism at school, but it was not nearly as open and even to this day, she (happily) doesn't get what happened. It took a talk with the one other Jewish family at school to put the pieces together.
5
There is nothing funny about using a murderous war criminal's name to tell a young woman and her family they are not wanted. And if the school had acted properly, the abuse would have stopped before the fallout.
This entire incident shows how toxic fear and hate of 'the other' is. It is not OK. And I pray this dark age changes soon.
32
I have sometimes felt that anti-Semitism stories are, well, let's say 'too subtle.' There is nothing subtle here and the prevalent excuse that it was a joke or even a dumb teenage joke is simply a lie. It reeks of malice and forethought. I am not Jewish, but I believe the people in this story are deeply anti-semitic. I have spent time in New Jersey and while I met some great people, I also met far more hard minded, biased people than anywhere I have been except the Deep South. They seem to foster a harsh feeling of superiority over anybody who is different. It's really a shame, the school, the parents betrayed this young girl and did it with spite and irony. The New Jersey school system needs to clean up its act.
23
"MAST, a magnet school, ...... has a strong military affiliation".
What does this mean? Military training in the curriculum? Teaching values ? Which values?
In France, the worst anti semitism story ever, "Affaire Dreyfus" happened in the French army. We also have schools with "strong military affiliations". I did not send my Children to such schools and do not understand why anyone would.
13
@Jean Roudier
Perhaps it is time to show the film Triumph of the Will to students, followed by films of those concentration camps in Poland, run by Nazis, with horrifying pictures of skeletal camp victims. And also show the the painful documentary about the White Rose Society whose student members resisted Hitler, were betrayed, arrested and beheaded. They were young and brave; they should have been carefree, not burdened with Hitler's evil. 70 yrs. ago is a distant past to high school students; their parents should know better. I worked for a Jewish law firm in NYC; transferred to CT and ended up with a Jewish family owned multi-State corporation. I was promoted, paid very well, and celebrated Christmas with generous bonus gifts. There were other non-Jewish employees as well; they advanced on merit and did extremely well financially. My experience with Jewish employers and friends has been positive for me. If you are an employee, you become a fortunate family member. Trump has brought hate to our civic norms: mocking a disabled reporter; insulting a family who lost their only son in combat; calling all Mexicans rapists; equating bat wielding thugs with unarmed students. His base is a minority on the margins. We Democrats need to GOTV. We can confront the GOP with a town crier after defeating them: "Bring out your dead" works for me.
What is most appalling is how young people think hate speech is ok.
20
The boys knew the hostile racist environment at MAST would enable them to get away with blatant antisemitism, otherwise they never would have done what they did. And after getting caught, both the school and the neighboring community want a pass and are utterly unrepentant about their morally disgusting behavior.
18
I was bullied and picked on in school. I remember nasty comments about my looks, my abilities in sports, etc. I remember hearing other kids called some pretty nasty names. Part of the problem is that the culture at large then and now, accepts these actions and refuses to understand that bullying, name calling, and other types of harassment do leave scars and do lasting damage.
Paige was lucky that her parents supported her. I was one of the kids who was hated at home and in school. There was no respite. (And no, I don't want sympathy.) Paige was also lucky that she was able to leave her school. Most children don't have those sorts of choices. Even so, it doesn't excuse the reprehensible behavior from her schoolmates, their parents, and the community.
Paige is not a snitch or a rat. She's right. It would have been different if the teens had read Hitler's book for a class assignment. Perhaps a discussion of what he spelled out about Jews, Aryans, etc., would have dissuaded those students or forced them to realize that hatred is not the way to live. Hatred is its own disease, almost as bad and fatal as the Black Plague was.
While I know Paige will have a hard time dealing with what happened I hope it will make her more tolerant of differences. Our differences are something to explore and rejoice, not a reason to bully and destroy.
3/4/2020 11:03pm first submit
17
There is no excuse. To send an unmistakeable message to everyone in the community, the offending boys should have been expelled and principal Earl Moore should have been fired. Any lesser response was pure cowardice, and it sure doesn't speak well for the community.
18
The school is located on Sandy Hook, federal property in the Gateway National Recreation Area. Maybe it uses Highlands as a mailing address, but the borough of Highlands sits across Sandy Hook Bay. Highlands also would not be considered "seaside." The next town south, Sea Bright, is an oceanside town.
2
I am a Jew. And I have to ask: who are these adults? Who are these parents? Those who think bullying, hostility, and threats are just jokes. Because it starts at the top. This, as you know, is Trump's America. And this is why we do everything in our power to stop it.
32
@KatWomanNYC With all due respect, if you read throughthe article, you will see anti-semitism at this school preceded Trump's presidency,
1
@PrairieFlax,
Yes, of course, all sorts of bigotry have existed forever.
But Trump is an enabler who emboldens more overt expression of it.
His ranks are bursting with bigots.
2
There is no funny part about h8.
7
Poor babies. They couldn't go to Cornell and NYU. Tough. Actions have consequences, even when you're 16.
25
Why does bullying get minimized behind the facade of "it was a joke" There was nothing funny about their actions and words, but by quickly labeling it a "joke" the actual racist and bullying nature of the act gets hidden behind the mask of humor. The colleges were right in denying those boys admission to their school. The haters will not change, as bad as it is to say this, Paige must learn to use her resources to get strong and not succumb to the ignorance of petty-minded people. Like all this people in these comments I applaud you for bringing this out instead of letting it go !!! In my book you actions are heroic.
13
It seems strange that the anti-Semitism described in this article is, apparently the only abberation of MAST.
With students and faculty so ignorant (or ignoring) of the history and harm of persecution, I would have expected a plethora of cases of homophobia, racism against blacks/hispanics/Asian, and a host of other obscenities.
Are there none?
6
@A The anti-Semitism was more than enough. What is your point?
2
@A I’m certain there are many. Some kids don’t speak up. Black kids at predominately white schools are often ostracized or marginalized in ways that are less overt than saying I h8 Jews. Gay kids may have much less support at home. Who knows why this particular incident is the one that got attention?
@A,
This article was about the experience of one female student, not an in-depth exposé of all the school’s problems.
1
The way to address such incidents is to recognize that such actions are NOT jokes. PERIOD. End of discussion. Anyone who thinks they are, is already so twisted he should be expelled from decent society. Someone--a student, not a teacher or administrator--has to have a backbone and stand up and say "This is not acceptable. Get out my school." Calling such acts jokes or youthful indiscretions is allowing fascism to shows its ugly face and flourish. Perhaps sending the perpetrators to prison for harassment would change the situation.
P.S. For clarity, I should state that I no longer live on the West Bank. I was denied entry by the Israeli authorities in 2017 after ten years of teaching there and am now living in China.
6
What angers me most is the way the local community closed ranks around the anti-Semitic teenagers rather than their target(s). Reminds me of the 1990 German film The Nasty Girl (should be required viewing for everyone at MAST!). You don't cure bigotry and racism by shrugging shoulders, saying "it's just kids", and burying the issue. Every single student, parent and community member who didn't genuinely condemn these activities should hang their heads in shame. But, more likely, they'll rant about political correctness and vote for Trump's re-election.
21
It was just a joke, is the same go-to excuse trump and his abettors employ when he uses vile, discriminatory language in his tweets and at his alarming rallies.
Hatred, bigotry, and discrimination are not jokes. These instances have been spreading and growing exponentially in our country, and elsewhere, over the past 3.5 years like malignant tumors.
Those who insist on diminishing the seriousness of this issue by calling it a joke, imply endorsement and are complicit in the consequences.
15
What about the anti-semitic teachers? Not a word in the article about them, other than their anti-semitic comments as reported by Paige.
The school's anti-semitic culture is endemic, has been encouraged by anti-semitic teachers, at at the least tolerated by the administration. Apparently, this is a long-standing situation at the school; it was a problem when that other Jewish student had attended 10 to 14 years earlier. It should be handled the way some districts handle schools that can't lift their failing achievement scores...the principal and teachers are removed from the school, and new ones brought in. If the school remains in failure mode another year, then it gets shuttered. I would do the same with a school that has an endemic racial or anti-semitic bullying problem that has persisted for so long. These people have to be rooted out and replaced. Yes...in fact, we will replace you.
17
She was excited ABOUT a school. I was excited FOR her.
2
This is a charter school? The state should revoke their charter and close down the school. Obviously, no public funding should go to such a school.
12
Read more carefully; MAST was not a charter school receiving public funding. It was a magnet school, which is a specialized public school.
1
Ever since Trump's "locker-room talk" scandal broke, I've wondered how much to take anything seriously.
I can attest that in many of my private chats, horrible discussions occur that are completely in jest, and while obviously (and intentionally) offensive, these are not meant to attack anyone or demonstrate anything other than a sophomoric sense of shock humor. There is a constant need to "one-up" the last offensive comment. Anyone who bears to read even 5 min of our chats would understand that. That said, if any of the targets of these offensive comments were to read our chat out of context, it would of course be shocking, and if i were even slightly famous, scandalous.
That teenagers (I'm an adult) do this kind of thing much more recklessly (as in this story) does not surprise me at all. I get that people who didn't grow up in a world of chat rooms and IMs wouldn't understand the motivation, but we know how Likes and Comments drive pleasure receptors. It makes sense the lengths kids will go to in order to stand out in a crowded chat.
Anti-semitism is a growing problem around the western world, and this kind of "passive" AS is part of it. But I assume these kids are like me, who grew up 40-50 years after WWII; these kinds of AS statements are more "edgy" and "boundary-pushing" than true statements of hatred or hostility. It's not an obvious boundary to parse, and i get why people are nervous. Just understand that kids these days say a lot of stuff they don't believe.
3
Respectfully, horse-hockey. The English pronunciation of the characters “H8” have no ambiguous or alternative pronunciation. “Hate” is a one-syllable word that most English speakers understand by age 5, and have a visceral understanding of by a few years later. These young men cannot hide behind your proposed excuse.
And everyone needs to calm down about their “lives being ruined.” Plenty of young people don’t get into the college of their choice. Cornell and NYU should be praised for sustaining, not a high, but an acceptable, standard of character.
1
@jamieson,
Of course kids do stupid things. But that does not mean that there should be no consequences.
Owning up and making amends is the very least that should be expected.
But this school and the community doubled down and made excuses for this behavior, increasing rather than ameliorating the harm to the girl.
Your well-intentioned attempt at understanding is in this case does not apply.
The boys, the school, and the community all deserve the strongest condemnation.
2
Punishment rendered against the 2 boys was minimal to say the least. They were permitted to graduate from MAST, that is unacceptable. They should be included in the lawsuit. They had their college acceptance rescinded to quality institutions. Hopefully they will enter the military and learn the facts of life.
11
I experienced my first taste of antisemitism when I left NYC to attend college in Minnesota in the late 60s. It was so bad that it became physical with my having to fight. After one semester, I, along with my parents decided that wasn’t the best environment and I returned to finish school in Connecticut . Sometimes us best to just leave and fight another day . It opened my eyes though and I never stood by for any of that type of attitude directed to me or anyone .
14
I wonder if any studies have been made as to what happens to teenagers who have learned to discriminate against others during the rest of their lives. Do they ever overcomes these character flaws or do they just intensify as they get older.
I am 81 and I grew up in an area where there were mostly people of German heritage and they were almost all Protestant. Most were Lutheran but there was a smattering of other protestant churches that had their beginnings in Germany. I think the tie in to a German heritage must have been powerful as I do not recall thinking that the different denominations defined what you were nor do I recall anyone else saying that.
When I went to college things changes was I met people that did not seem to like Catholics, Jews or sometimes you could be Protestant but is your people came from the wrong country something must e wrong with you.
This tribalism has been a mystery to me for my whole life.
4
I was surprised when my 8 year old granddaughter dropped her piano lessons for jujitsu. Her parents told me that she needed to learn to stand up for herself and not let people bully her. Yes, she is a mixed minority and lives in suburban NJ.
Hopefully she will be able to fend for herself, even as a second grader.
13
Wow. The lack of empathy of Paige’s classmates and teachers appalling. I don’t buy the kids will be kids justification. It’s just a excuse for bad parenting. By high school age, teens should know better. If they don’t it’s because the adults in their lives fell down on the job.
If I, or my siblings, one of whom did flirt with anti-semitism as a teenager, pulled those kind of antics, my very WASP-y parents ensured we thoroughly learned the lesson, this is America we respect all religions, all races.
16
Back in the '70s I attended an exclusive prep school where Jews were limited to 6 admissions per grade (2 black, 2 asian) but it wasn't until my sophomore year when I realized that the name-calling and anti-Semitic slurs were not just dumb jokes and friendly ribbing. Once we became more mobile and able to visit classmates' homes more easily and interact with their parents more frequently, it became painfully to me that in their eyes I was different, less than, and the jokes were not jokes.
Kids do not come up with these ideas on their own. It might be things overheard in conversation at the dinner table, or visits with the grandparents, or at the "club" or social events.
I'd like to say that it's hard to believe how little things have changed in 40 years. But people seldom do.
23
Same in my exclusive prep school. Funny one of the loudest ended up marrying a Jewish man. Go figure. The parents do a lot of damage.
Every one of my teacher friends knows that this type of harassment increased after the election in November, 2016. I hope that the next president has the ability to draw us together and to minimize these prejudicial actions.
17
Back in 1965, when I was an adolescent living in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, we found out that the father of one of our classmates had “played for the other team” (to use a euphemism) during WW2.
We harassed him terribly.
When my mom, who like literally every other Jew of her generation had many close relatives who were holocaust victims and survivors found out what we were doing, she set me straight by reminding me that we don’t get to choose our parents.
Yes, there is always going to be an element of “kids will be kids.” But when that happens, if there’s no parental guidance or worse yet, parental complicity, it becomes normal. Except of course for the person on the receiving end.
11
This is now the result of that wink and nod trump inferred. “There are good people on both sides.” That, in history books, one day, will be bigger than any tweet. An albatross.
11
To all the people giving the teens a pass because of their not-yet-fully-developed-prefrontal cortex: it would be nice if we could assume that one would just grow out of such behaviors, and feel badly about them at some point. But in the high school where I teach, a student who I thought was a bright, capable leader has since had moments of national infamy as a xenophobic, white nationalist anti-Semitic YouTuber and podcaster, in college and now beyond. As our staff heard about the alum's emergent occupation, some said he'd argued for those views while in our school. His parents do not share his views - I don't know how he became what he is, or how immature his adolescent brain was/is, but he's done plenty of damage regardless. Don't assume that a 16-year-old's immoral behaviors are just a harmless passing phase. There are plenty of other examples. Not that it's easy to figure out how to turn things around, but just saying 'they'll grow out of it' isn't the way.
20
The fact that this community refused to learn from this and punished this young woman is absolutely heartbreaking. When I was about 12 my family moved from the North Shore of Chicago (a majority Jewish area) to a town where we were one of the only Jewish families. My high school had roughly 5,000 students and in my class of 1200 only 3 of us were Jewish. I’d regularly hear anti Semitic “jokes” and swastika’s on desks and in bathrooms was routine.
Thankfully in my case I quickly learned most of this was fueled by ignorance and not malice. After spending time hanging at my house, eating Jewish cuisine and learning a bit more about our history and customs a lot of my friends and other students started to recognize how hurtful & wrong these “jokes” can be. While not everyone came around to tolerance and understanding, enough did and they would actively stick up for me when I came face to face with legitimate hatred. I’m so very sorry this young woman had the complete opposite experience.
16
I just have to wonder if there are Facebook or other posts out there calculated to cause this stuff? If so , do they emanate from here or from abroad? The politics/ mechanics of weaponizing hate seems as If it’s becoming a low art, but with high visibility.
7
This problem began when Trump said "there were fine people on both sides" in his reference to the horrible hate filled march in Charlottesville. I belong to the Southern Poverty Law Center now and I receive very disturbing information about the rise of hate groups in this country. I don't think Trump can be blamed for all of it, but he didn't help and he doesn't help. This young woman was frightened enough to leave her school. No one in this country should have to be afraid because of their religion or the color of their skin. I always thought we were better than that.
7
A number of years ago, several of us were at a table talking about my trip to India and the fun we had bargaining for a carpet. My friend’s mother commented that I had jewed them down. The following morning I privately and politely asked her about her comment and whether she thought it was anti Semitic. She agreed it was and felt so humiliated that later that day she drove home without announcing her leaving. She apologized without being asked to and we remained friends. Had I not confronted her, she would have continued her offensive behavior. Subsequently, her remorse and reflection released her from a lifetime of racism and antisemitism. Paige and her parents were absolutely correct to stare down her/their antagonists. The defensiveness and lack of demonstrable understanding from the school is evidence of its contemptible ideas. Justice doesn’t often come easily. Let’s hope it does at this school and community.
15
This story resonates with me. As a teen in the 1980s, I was teased and referred to as “the Jewish girl.” I was mocked and my religion was discussed constantly. This was in the Midwest, a place with few Jews. Living on the East Coast, I had hoped for better. My son’s school allowed kids to tattoo themselves with swastikas at the school dance! Over at a friend’s house, kids asked my son if they should pretend the other room was a gas chamber. This kind of talk is coming from the parents and infecting the next generation.Let’s stop it now. Hate speech is not benign. Thirty five years later, the childhood taunts still sting.
15
What a horrifying story. There’s a cynical strain of humor that it’s ok to make fun of some groups based on superficial traits.
There’s a world of difference between those jokes and this raw hate speech.
The students who engaged in it have the 1st Amendment right to do so, but they crossed a line into bullying.
Paige is a hero. Sometimes that doesn’t mean a guaranteed happy ending
5
You say The New York Times is not naming these heartless tormentors because they were minors at the time of the "incident." But it seems to me that it would be legal and just to do so at this point. Perhaps experiencing public censure and shunning themselves is the only thing that will get through to them. Paige, hang in there. I greatly admire your courage and decency.
13
I grew up in a near-northern suburb of Chicago. My father is Jewish; my mother is Latina and Catholic. Until I transferred to a public middle school, I'd never heard an anti-Semitic slur. In fact, outside of the odd R-rated movie on premium cable, I don't think I'd ever heard someone utter anything expressly racist. But then I made the mistake of entering my heritage into the public record.
I called out an eighth grader who'd labelled another student's hesitance to buy something as "Jewy." Thinking that I could set them straight, I told them that my father was a Jew, and that I wouldn't take kindly to hearing them say it again. Words were exchanged. Punches were thrown. And for the rest of the year, I became the frequent target of anti-Semitic comments and jokes. A bully threw coupons at me, telling me that a good Jew would never miss an opportunity to save money. After a classmate accidentally spilled a drink on my sneakers, his friend reminded him that my "Jew dad" wouldn't have any trouble affording replacements.
Like many folks who come from a mixed ethnic and religious background, I've never felt particularly at home with any one group. But I do know the torture that comes with being a Jew in a place where we are thought of only as abstractions—not as people to be afforded dignity but as jokes yet to be made.
I'm devastated by this story. No one, not at any age, should have to bear these burdens. And even though she must, I want Paige to know that she's not alone.
20
This story about Paige made me sad and angry. These kinds of "jokes"- the beach photo, the adolf rock, the dis-pronunciation of a student's last name- may seem trivial to some people, and some might say "get over it" or "it's just a bit of harmless bad taste humor." But I'll bet they've never been hurt by this kind of joke, and they don't understand the real poison that saturates this so-called humor which targets members of distinct group. The damage caused by these "joke" attacks in a school or in a workplace - or anywhere- is to instill a negative sense of otherness and shame, a sense of being unwelcome, of being undeserving of belonging, like you're just barely being tolerated. And the laughers at these jokes, will naturally put up their own defenses when the harm and wrong doing are reported... and in a weird irony the laughers become victims too, bonded to the hateful ideology that fuels these jokes. They don't comprehend that intolerance comes back around like scythe and cuts them too. And that's how the world falls apart.
We have to teach tolerance. Actively teach tolerance. It's been damaged, it's been discarded and we have to repair it in the schools, in politics, on social media, and in our own minds.
12
Who are these parents who defend these kinds of racist actions? This is where the problem lies – parents who excuse their children's inexcusable behaviors. I shudder to think what would have happened to me at home if I had been involved, even in the smallest way, in anything even closely resembling these horrific acts. My parents would not for a minute have accepted the "I'm only 16 excuse." Quite the opposite. I was always expected to do the right thing at every age. And when I didn't, I had to face the music. I credit my parents with my well-developed sense of right and wrong.
10
It's just a matter of time before Trump is making his usual sarcastic jokes about political correctness, how no one can make harmless jokes, and these two poor boys who's lives were ruined by the PC police. For someone who's spent his whole life insulting others, he's a natural ally for the likes of the two boys and their supporters who insult and intimidate their way through life.
8
So SADLY this is the world trump created. With trump at the helm, political correctness is now considered a 4 letter word. This story hurts me deeply. And reading that the community sided against Paige and her family just speaks to the damage trump has done to our country. In my lifetime we have come so far in terms of tolerance and acceptance, but to now see those strides broken is so sad. trump has given a voice to racism and prejudice and has allowed those people to say their thoughts out loud without any consequences. I truly believe that is why trump's supporters continue to stand by him even though his values are anything but Christian. Trump has given the bullies a voice. Until we no longer have a president who routinely attacks individuals with his twitter account, we will continue to go backwards.
9
Yes, indeed it was a high price the boys paid when their prestigious college admissions were rescinded. But fair. Consider the non academic qualities and achivements that these choosey Ivy League and other top tier colleges require for admissions. Surely blatant anti Semitism and bullying are not the desired virtues sought out by these universities.
7
I went to The University of Wisconsin-Madison. There were were tons of east coast Jewish guys/gals there. Cultural differences aside, we always hung out together and had fun. We studied together, drank together and went on spring break together. No one ever talked about religious differences; literally no one cared. What happened?
6
@Thanks Oh please. As the child of a prairie state myself, I can tell you Madison is an island.
1
@PrairieFlax apparently
The subject in this article makes me feel deeply sad and horrified. I am not Jewish, and I am not personally affected by anti-Semitism... but really, aren't I? Aren't we all? Hate in any form destroys societies, even if we personally aren't its targets. I am so angry reading this that I can hardly see straight, and my eyes are filled with tears. What an absolute failure of leadership. And what is the deal with these kids' parents?? You have to start early when teaching children values. You have to be proactive and vocal with your children, because the human heart can turn so easily to evil. My kids will never be like this...not if I can help it, that's for sure.
11
It is obvious that this culture runs through the student body, parents and staff. This is clear by the minimizing and condoning. It is amplified by their behavior and is disgusting. I am proud of Paige and her family and the actions they took.
7
@Carl
I experienced a lesser version of this in 6th-8th grade (1969-1971) in then rural/developing Fairfax County Virginia. It was and is baffling to know that 11 year olds can have these ideas and behaviors. It is notable that a number of them were children of military officers.
2
We should not normalize discrimination at any age. The kids in this story, and certainly their parents, were old enough to know better.
This poor child was targeted, by her classmates and community, and the school did nothing to protect her. We have to take harassment like this seriously.
9
Magnet high school. Magnetic attraction? No. Magnetic repulsion.
5
I have zero sympathy for Paige's classmates and former school and their fears of being branded as racist. The most shameful thing about Paige's story isn't the racist message scrawled in sand or even racist jokes by teachers on Paige's first day of school, it's that afterwards her classmates and their community rallied around the bullies and not Paige. Her classmates and their (not her) community decided "snitching" was the greater crime and shunned her. The students and community members who don't want to be nationally famous as racists brought the infamy on themselves with their own actions. Racists can't thrive without this kind of "community support." I admit it, this story surprised me. No student, teacher, administrator or parent from "the community" rallied to Paige's side? Clearly they don't make heroes or even decent human beings at the MAST school. Close the dump. The money spent running it could be better spent elsewhere. Filling potholes would be a better use of the school's budget.
13
In other countries, many irreligious Jews attend secularized, liberal Jewish schools precisely to avoid what happened to Paige. It seems that no matter how much education attempts to eradicate anti-Semitism, and other forms of stupid hatred, it doesn't help. In the western world, religion may have taken a back seat, but the anti-Semitism historically inherent to Christianity, and Islam too, does not die.
As to those teens avoiding Paige after the incident, that is largely due to social pressure, not because they are prejudiced. Another problem in the school systems - every school has its pariahs, and the consequences of basically normal teenagers being shunned is usually lifelong.
4
"There were many fine people on both sides..." is it any wonder that Trump is president?
4
Elite schools are presumed to be better, but the nastiest bullying I ever experienced growing up was from wealthy private school kids. And I went to urban and suburban and parochial schools as well.
Some people live in a spoiled bubble of lack of consequences as it curdles into nastiness. They are anti-semitic because among people of inherited wealth, there is a deep insecurity. They need to pretend they are genetically superior to justify it. Look at Trump with his daddy’s money bragging about his good genes. Same psychology. And utterly toxic.
11
An easy way to assess the school’s response would be to ask how they would have responded if the message was “I h8 blacks” or “I h8 gays”. More than a short suspension, I suspect.
8
Hate is no joke. Someone who expresses it is indicating very loudly and forcefully that they are on a dangerous path. These actions play with power to see if you can find an Other to start to manipulate and control: a minority, a weaker outcast to place outside a society you've claimed for yourself. These "jokes" mark and end to character.
7
It's not just anti-Semitic slurs or a lack of support for students that is common in America. Look at what Trump has said about whistleblowers, anyone who has opposed or criticized him, etc. And the rest of the GOP goes along with it. Look at how we treat families or people who dare to speak up for rights under the ADA or anything else. This is not new behavior. It's as old as America, as old as humanity. The only difference is that we do know better and that's why we ought to be ashamed when we see it and say it's the victim's fault.
7
I am glad there was no social media when I was a teenager, because I did many stupid things during those years without having my stupid conduct transmitted widely for all to see. I was born in 1949. My school years were 1954 (kindergarten and elementary school) to 1971 (college). I and many of my classmates tried on all sorts of personalities and committed all sorts of pranks, and I can say only that I'm embarrassed and ashamed of them but thankful I had the chance to grow out of that without the whole world seeing what a jerk I was, with no indelible images to haunt me forever.
As a result of all that, and of all these years of hindsight and reflection, I find it hard to be too self-righteous about any of these offensive things, not because they aren't horrible but because there but for the grace of timing could go I. My best guess is that the perpetrators of these misdeeds will grow up to be ashamed of them and to be better adults. Many who bully members of various minorities (ethnic, racial, sexual, religious, etcetera) will see the light as maturity sets in.
My hope is that the adults will set a good example and keep the bullying and hate to a minimum while these minors find a way to get through their younger years without permanent damage to their lives. We don't condone the actions but we shouldn't be slamming life's doors on anyone at such a young age.
I live in San Francisco, and even being one of the most liberal cities in the country with open-minded adults does not insulate us from these issues. Recently, a private high school in the city had an issue with racism - in this case, against blacks, with the N word and blackface involved. (Google it, comes up pretty quickly). Within that school’s community, and even in my own community, many people were quick to dismiss the incidents as “kids being kids” and not that serious. Only a handful of folks I talked to were utterly disgusted. I know of other kids at private schools posting racist Tik Tok videos and the parents shrug it off. They don’t like it, but they don’t view their kids as racist and don’t feel that much needs to be done to change it. These incidents of racism that greatly affect students of color are not going to go away without real consequences handed down by parents and administrators. Everyone needs to start taking these issues more seriously.
9
There are so many alarming issues with this story. As a religious Jew I am horrified by the students, administration, parents of the students and, most notably in my opinion, the teachers. Paige is a brave soul who stood up for her identity and the Jewish people as a whole and was ostracized for it. The school should be ashamed and should really contemplate the kind of values they are instilling in their students. The parents of these students have some chutzpah to say that Paige blew this out of proportion. I wonder how they would have felt if Paige was their daughter...
Keep being a proud Jew, Paige. The Jewish Nation is with you!
6
I am so upset by this story, I can’t see straight. So much bad behavior BY EVERYONE. What small, ignorant people in that school— what college would want them? Monmouth County citizens should be outraged.
Paige and family: I’m so sorry this happened and applaud you for standing up— that must have been incredibly difficult. I hope you prevail in this lawsuit. Good people care about you.
1203
@Aileen Delaney: Agreed. Several years ago, I became acquainted with a mixed faith family through my church. One Sunday after worship, the mother opened up about bullying her daughter had experienced at a Catholic school in their previous city because of her Jewish surname. I've always been a part of very progressive congregations, so I was taken completely aback to learn that she had suffered such cruelty at the hands of fellow Christians. It was an eye-opening moment.
48
@Aileen Delaney
Well said and how absolutely true. It's such a cop out "oh, we're only kids making a joke;" and then the so-called responsible adults saying "hey, they're only kids etc..".. If they're in a school preparing them for life.. they need to learn the hard way if necessary that words and actions have effects on the lives and feelings of others.... and that goes for those who are responsible for teaching these soon-to-be adults.... It's not just anti-Semitism, it's the anti-other that permeates our whole privileged society.
52
@Aileen Delaney
Yes.
9
Having grown up (Catholic) on LI in one of the very Catholic communities, I can attest that these anti-Semitic attitudes are taught at home. They’re not “jokes” - they’re the way people think and speak when they think they’re in the majority. It’s disgusting.
I don’t feel sorry for those two boys at all. Their lives are not “ruined”. Perhaps, however, they’ll learn what it means to have to pursue success when they are not given a glide path to success due to the color of their skin, their gender, their religion, and perhaps their socioeconomic status.
153
@CatFur How do you think the Palestinians feel?
1
A “joke” that is funny and enjoyed by only one side of a situation and hurtful to the other is the definition of cruelty. The fall out only magnified how deep the ignorance or even indoctrination was at the school. Did anyone question whether a teacher should be elevating Antisemitic literature to young people?
85
That part was insane — that teacher needs to have her or his head checked. It would not have been pretty if I had been a student in that class
3
Having your Cornell acceptance rescinded doesn’t ruin your life - cry me a River.
123
This article and the attitude of the young people, with the exception of Paige, sickens me. No one would question the seriousness of what those kids did if the victim had been a black girl. They would have been doxed and it would have been all over for them (I am totally against doxing! BTW). But no one in that community cares what those boys and the kids at the school did. It's like it's a joke because it is okay in this country to hate on Jews. How could they even think that would be a joke. Have them try and explain exactly what the joke is.
58
@BNYgal Monmouth County has approximately 650k residents. Prospective students from the entire county are eligible but must apply and as the school is quite small the process is highly competitive. There is no "community" that finds this behavior acceptable. The town in which the school sits (way out on the tip of Sandy Hook National Park) has little interaction with it or its students. The students could live as much as an hour away from the school and are bused drive themselves or given a ride. I guarantee most Monmouth County residents are just finding out about this now and are as outraged as you.
4
You’re saying a black girl subject to racist taunts would have been treated better at that school? That’s a ridiculous assertion and one that may indicate you have some thinking to do about your views. Anti-semitism and racism are BOTH serious problems and are BOTH wrong and unacceptable.
What happened to Paige is unacceptable and wrong and heartbreaking. Good for her for getting on with her life. I wish her the very best.
That community has a serious anti-semitism problem and the school administrators completely blew it.
4
This was not one single instance of stupidity. This was pervasive, hostile, and threatening. The young adults should be punished with community service/parole, and lack of internet for a year. There have to be consequences for hate speech and hateful harassment.
47
I grew up in NJ, with a fair amount of Jewish kids. Sure, we had Jewish joke books, Italian joke books, Irish joke books and the most brutal were the Polish joke books. And we’d try to one up the other, mostly with unoriginal material. We’d be seriously condemned today, but the jokes were jokes.. not personal, not threatening, mostly stereotypical stupid ones. I never saw or heard of swastikas being drawn. No one was shunned or targeted. I’m only learning about that hope/Adolph message from this article. I thought we were getting better as a country, so where does all of this come from?
14
How could you think we are getting better as a country when Trump is our president? I feel silly even saying it, but seriously how?
3
Jewish jokes, Italian jokes, Irish jokes, and Polish jokes. Jokes about Catholics, Jews and ethnic minorities but no jokes about the majority ethnic group- white Anglo Saxon Protestants. Do you not see what is wrong with that picture?
3
So many great thoughts in the comments - especially as they relate to the trauma of Paige and her family.
Stepping back from specific incidents, my question: Is there any connection between the rise in aberrant school-age behavior, and the abusive, disrespectful, racist, anti-immigrant and nativist language of Donald Trump?
The preliminary answer seems to be yes, and this does not surprise me.
Study Finds Link between Voter Preference for Trump and Bullying in Middle Schools:
https://www.aera.net/Newsroom/News-Releases-and-Statements/Study-Finds-Link-between-Voter-Preference-for-Trump-and-Bullying-in-Middle-Schools
News article: "Kids Are Quoting Trump To Bully Their Classmates And Teachers Don’t Know What To Do About It"
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/albertsamaha/kids-are-quoting-trump-to-bully-their-classmates
News article: "How the Bully in Chief is Turning America Nastier"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/local/school-bullying-trump-words/
36
My entire high school years in NY were derailed by bigotry. I went to Lafayette HS in Bensonhurst in 1973; coming in on the tail-end of busing (to integrate schools )from the 1960s. It was the worst years of my life, I ended up dropping out of high school. The hate and the pain lingers to this day to know that people could be so hateful (and it wasn't just the kids) Adults would stand outside their homes as we arrived ...they spat at us, called us the "n" word. The boys were usually jumped at an area called the triangle that we had to walk through from the train station. My guidance counselor, who I think of often, told me I wouldn't amount to anything. The best a girl like me (a black girl could do is "find a guy to marry me and start a family" I was 13 years old. I did not take her advice, I went on to get a h.s. diploma and graduated CUNY in 1983. I am enjoying a successful career in the legal field.
Bigotry is as old as the U.S. and until the country honestly assess and teach the damage bigoty does to individuals, it will continue to be the insidious evil story we tell when we recount our journeys to success and/or failure.
127
@rere I'm so sorry for what you experienced. I've seen some video footage of the violence, cruelty, and inhumanity that Black students were subjected to in the '60s and '70s at schools that were integrating (including from parents), and I am in awe of your courage. I'm so glad you've had a rewarding career but I understand how your experience haunts you to this day.
9
Stop calling it anti-bullying. The media's inaccurate use of language gives them shelter. Talk real. They are Nazis. The schools need to have anti-nazi programs.
80
I hope that idiot principal and offending teachers are fired and that awful school is sued out of existence. Disgusting.
50
@Little Doom I think that what happened was completely awful. There is no excuse for what these boys did. I think that this school should be shut down and the principal should be locked up in jail for a long long time. The teachers involved should be heavily fined and quite frankly I cannot believe that this is a military school that is putting up with this
2
To those who commented that this is not news, I disagree. The fact that this is commonplace and acceptable is what makes it news. The fact that more people are not outraged is newsworthy. We live in a world where being the bottom of bias jokes is deemed okay. It’s not okay. IThe equivalent is not okay, no matter what minority group you belong to. It is our responsibility as a society and certainly for educators to raise a better generation than our own. These are not jokes; these actions are intentionally exclusionary and bias. At 16 you have every mental capacity to understand the weight of your actions. I am proud of Cornell and NYU for rescinding these boys’ candidacy. These universities are demonstrating the high morale values they stand for. I hope these boys learned that every action they take has a consequence. I hope they can grow from this experience and move forward and contribute positively to others based on their own learnings.
And to Paige and her family for bravely standing up for themselves and pursuing the justice and the environment they deserve. It’s not easy being ostracized for doing what’s right. You did not deserve this. You deserve to be proud of who you are and what you believe. I hope you find that. I hope we all can do more to make school, work, and life a more welcoming and accepting place for us all.
82
I hope Paige (and her feckless classmates) read every single one of these comments. There are now over a thousand people in her corner, and counting.
64
I put this down in large part to the effects of the toxic Trump administration. Three years in and we see the deterioration of our way of life. While this behavior was fairly common in the 1950s and 1960s, it seemed to have somewhat subsided. Now it is rearing its ugly head. And they said it could never happen here. The world over, hatred is rampant. There are pogroms in India. In China, ethnic cleansing. Syrian children in boats are pushed away from a pier in Lesbos. The world is overcrowded and controlled by just a few powerful people who are in a panic that there place of incredible wealth and privilege is about to come toppling down. So the public space is polluted by hate, fear, and greed.
24
After reading a few paragraphs I was on the fence thinking, yes, these boys did something seriously bad but that, if done properly, it could be addressed by the adults with the involvement of the girl’s parents. Every adult in their lives would surely set them straight and pronto. It seemed like a grave mistake made by adolescents.
But then I read that adult teachers in the school made fun of another child’s name, asking if it was spelled jew-frie. And then a teacher in the school recommended the book Mien Kampf to the classroom. What, what?! Who does that? That is crazy wrong.
Definitely, school authorities should be investigating the whole school staff and environment.
I can see how the girl’s parents would not trust the staff at the school to address the issue since the staff themselves were a party to it; and why they would have to take legal measures.
51
PARENTS! No one has yet raised the culpability of these students' parents. It is unlikely that these anti-Semitic notions -- so deeply ingrained that they these young people believe they are normal -- could have taken root were they not reflective of these students' family life and upbringing. The strains of anti-semitism run deeper than the students of a high school.
43
I feel for Paige and her parents. Behavior like this cannot be tolerated, hope the school gets closed. This will send a message.
23
Why the school administration here did not rally around this brave young woman is baffling. This was handled in such a caviler fashion that it got totally out of control and ruined a bunch of lives - especially this young woman who did NOTHING wrong. This school needs to be shut done asap. All the kids who sat idly by should be ashamed of themselves. What if somebody left a noose or wrote "KKK" in a text or on the school wall - it would have been handled differently. Anti-semitism is real and it is dangerous. Shut down this school now.
36
REALLY?, Is this is happening in 2020?
With Trump in the driver's seat part of America has gone back to the Stone Age.
I am so sorry for this young girl.
24
Besides being reprehensible behavior, it was down right stupid. In this day and age how can anyone think they can capture something as racist/anti-semitic as that on film and think that it will not be noticed ! Their acceptance letters should be rescinded for stupidity if nothing at all .
17
This makes me so incredibly frustrated and angry. As much as I am proud of so many of my fellow gen-Zers for standing up for progressive causes, I am also all too familiar with the online culture that perpetuates racism, anti-semitism, misogyny, transphobia, etc. as memes or jokes. I find that it so often gets a pass because it is presented as ironic, satirical, or non-serious, even though the target of the "joke" never actually seems to be bigotry itself, but rather the people who are offended ("triggered") by said bigotry. I find that this type of "humour" is so common among young, white, cishet men because they are unable to fathom that someone could actually be hurt by such a thing, it is just too far outside their life experience. In their mind, anyone who expresses that they are hurt by a bigoted joke is either overly sensitive or pretending to be offended for attention.
I think what gets me the most about this story is that none of Paige's "friends" stood up for her or showed her any empathy. The guys who make these types of comments and jokes are so often enabled by their peers, many of whom are also members of marginalized groups (white women like myself are the most egregious offenders). I know of multiple guys from my HS, one of whom professed to be an actual fascist and ran a pro-nazi blog on Tumblr, who were very popular. The most popular club at our HS was built around this type of "humour". At least in this situation they faced some kind of consequence:/
28
It breaks my heart to read this story. I was raised in a New England town where there were not any Jewish people, and I can say never, not even once do I recall ever hearing a bad comment about Jewish people. If there had been, my father would have punished me harshly if I didn't stand up to the defense of someone being picked on or mistreated. On a brighter note, this young woman isn't trapped by poison. She is free. Anti-semites have to deal with this, not she.
15
@MCS Sadly it doesn't sound like Paige is free. It sounds like she has been deeply wounded by the actions of her fellow students and teachers in this school, and now has to deal with that pain, and the inability to trust others. I feel so badly for this family, who apparently tried in every reasonable and rational way to cope with this situation without receiving nearly enough effective action from the school administration. One thing I will say as a NJ citizen- we are very fortunate to have an effective Attorney General in Mr. Grewal. So many times I have read of his direct and forceful actions in supporting the rights of citizens who have been wrongly treated- he has earned my deepest respect.
4
This is just heartbreaking in the year 2020, as is all prejudice and bullying. I went to a v WASP school when growing up in the 60s. There were a couple Jewish kids in my class. One was a friend. I know both were terribly harassed for simply being Jewish, and I probably participated. This does stick with me. These classmates only fault was being ‘different’, and we youngsters didn’t really know why we turned them out.It was shameful. I knew it then and still do. But to read Paige’s current day experience is horrid. I truly do comprehend why students and teachers can act so wretchedly against another classmate simply for being of a different religion. I hope Paige and her family extract a tremendous financial penalty from the school and its district. Anything to make this young woman’s life easier. I just wish the 2 young students on the beach were included in the suit. The community whining is atrocious and the principal and involved teachers need to be fired for fault. Nothing happened at the school when I was growing up. There should be severe penalties now, in 2018-2020.
24
Youth that thinks today’s anti-Semite or anti-minority bullying is just plain old fun and games is ripe to be tomorrow’s third reich.
31
It is a heartbreaking story. I can’t believe that blatant Anti-Semitism still exists in the one of the most liberal state of the US in 2020. Along with my follow Canadians, we will always support Paige.
24
Sorry, it should be one of the most liberal *states* and *fellow* Canadians.
I did not attend a public high school, but I know if any of this went on there would have been severe consequences and it would not have been allowed to continue. And that meant the administration and teachers would be aware and on watch. What is going on at that school?
13
As a former teacher who worked in the private sector I would have been all over these students the moment it started. In the private sector if you pull that “it’s just a joke” nonsense they typically don’t waste any time trying to rehabilitate you, The administration should have sent a message by immediately making some involuntary transfers of students and teachers involved.
16
Story states that in New Jersey, reported bias incidents increased by 55% between 2016 and 2018 after a decade in decline. Did something happen in the US that might account for this?
41
Having grown up Jewish in a similar neighborhood, I can assure you that these anti-Semitic acts are not instances of youthful indiscretion. They reflect a worldview inculcated at a very young age by anti-Semitic parents. Like racism, this hate is a familial disease, passed on as a life lesson from one generation to the next. I have no solution to offer, but I pray that conditions in our country do not devolve further.
44
As a Jewish person, I am troubled by a lot anti-semitism that seems to creeping up. But I really don't feel that this is a good example of this. I feel that the actions described here by the principal at the start seem appropriate, measured, and take into account that kids just do all sort of stupid stuff that they don't seem to understand the impact of. @L -- agree that all of this seems to have gone too far. Both in terms of a lawsuit, and an article in the Times. Kids are bullied for all sorts of reasons. Kids need to be taught tolerance and empathy over and over again. Kids need to be taught to move past difficult social situations that don't end in escalation by the adults in the room. This isn't news.
5
@M
As a Jewish person, i disagree with you.
1
@Lu So what? You're certainly entitled to think whatever you like. Like those kids, btw! But you've not made an argument for why clenching our collective pearls some more, or better yet -- nailing these people to the cross accomplishes anything. This is an article about stupid kids, saying stupid stuff, and a handful of adults who didn't behave in a way a responsible educator/parent should when confronted with racism, small mindedness, or bullying. It is also an article about a girl who seems to have been taught nothing to have conviction, or make her own way in the world -- a "victim" who seems as spoilt, and entitled as the perpetrators. And parents who are interested in litigating and complaining, in leu of raising a child that can persevere in a world that will undoubtedly bestow on her, her share of racism and misogyny that we've all endured. I'm in no way condoning these kids' racist remarks, but the reaction by this Paige girl, and her family -- to my mind -- in near equally inane.
The school administration and the faculty should have proactively dealt with this toxic environment, rather than attempt to protect the school's reputation and theirs.
By example, the "adults" at the school have taught the students and the community that it is tolerable to treat any individual with anything but respect.
10
I'm sorry that the two young men in the article were so desperate for attention that they felt the need to do what they did. But their actions were not "jokes" and actions have consequences. I have zero sympathy for them.
I do hope Paige goes back to school somewhere. She's well rid of the shameless and distasteful peers at her former school. A better situation is out there for her.
14
Pictures of Hitler, images of the Nazi Swastika, references to "Mein Kampf" are not jokes or any form of humor. They are symbols of hatred and murder in the millions. Pictures and stories of the Nazi concentration camps and the untold killing and more heinous activities, all among other signs, symbols and pictures of the Nazis are not jokes and cannot be hidden away as such. imo any use of them by any one is a prima facie act of intent of hatred and worse. School teachers among others who tolerate such behavior need retraining or being fired.
Alas, General Eisenhower was correct when he ordered the filming of the camps, "No one will believe them." Odd isn't it how Pres. Eisenhower is often commended for our interstate highway system and the call to be on the vigil of the military-industrial complex, but rarely of his ordering the filming of the death camps.
21
I started crying reading this.
13
Welcome to the age of trump.
20
While incidents have increased under Trump, anti Semitism has always been there, not far under the surface. Over the years I have heard some appalling and stereotypical comments from people who didn’t seem to recognize the offensiveness of what they were saying.
11
The only thing that surprises me is that anyone is surprised. The greatest satirist in the English language a self proclaimed Judeophile Mark Twain said the one thing that united America was a hatred of Jews. It was only a little over one hundred years ago. I wonder if my own experiences left me in total opposition to Gorsuch and Kavanaugh on the supreme court. I still wonder the origin of McConnell refusal to have confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland whose judicial excellence may have given us the first unanimous Supreme court appointment since Reagan decided justice needed her blindfold removed.
16
What does "Excited for a New School" mean?
She was excited to be going to a new school?
She was excited because the new school was . . . ?
I guess I better read the article.
2
Why comment if you haven’t. This is hardly a problem compared to the content.
2
this is so disgusting I'm about to puke - what is going on in this country?
18
''On her first day as a freshman, she said, she came home in tears because two teachers had laughed when pronouncing a student’s last name, Guiffre, as “Jew-Frey.”''
The teachers were literate enough to know what judenfrei, pronounced the same way is, and it's connotation.
16
These teachers are monsters. I hope they can never work as teachers again. For any teacher to mock any student's race, or religion, or ethnicity means they are unfit to have young people in their charge. It is cruel as well as ignorant.
27
Paige! We support you!
44
The stark reality is this: when the president of the US and his cohorts boldly demonstrate that it is okay to discriminate against groups of people defined by race, religion or nationality, and as well to openly mock and libel them, and even try to hurt them, they declare open season on the targeted group, and almost any group that's "different" will do. In any population there are always some who will readily respond likewise, mocking and hurting someone in a targeted group for kicks. Those who pretend that the students at the academy did not know that they were hurting Jewish students and did not intend to do so, are telling themselves fairy tales. The school obviously could have done much more, but it didn't, so the lawsuit is not only warranted, it's a necessity and a duty so that other Jewish students won't have to go through this in the future.
19
Bullying is bullying. The ONLY way bullying abates is that consequences severe enough to hurt are applied. Here, the students and other parents are blaming the "whistleblower" -- just like Trump.
Just like the father of the Stanford kid who wrote the judge that his son's life shouldn't be ruined by a drunken event violating a girl.
"So sad, too bad" these boys weren't raised to understand what bullying and anti-Semitism is; or that people who treat each other with consideration don't get their college admissions rescinded.
21
This doesn’t surprise me at all. My daughter went to MAST, and encountered lots of sexism from the faculty. MAST had a reputation for excellence, but it turned out academic rigor and independent thinking were not high on their list. If you could march in a straight line and had a knack for pushing around kids younger than you, you were golden. Lots of intolerance at that place. It should absolutely be reorganized from the top down.
56
@Patrick Iannone
I don’t know when your daughter attended MAST, but the year this occurred the lead battalion cadet was a female and the upcoming class admitted more females than males. My daughter’s experience was you could do the bare minimum or participate 100% in ROTC-the majority of ROTC college scholarships went to female students
As usual, the institution closes ranks to protect itself. The more “prestigious” the institution the more it deviates from its supposed ethos
20
Teaching kids and young adults that their hateful or misguided behavior is "okay" and without consequence because of youth is a recipe for raising a generation of unaccountable and unthinking egomaniacs.
When I was in high school (both in the USA and abroad), I remember that when I or my peers conducted ourselves poorly by engaging in "stupid" behavior or jokes, we were disciplined. And nobody ever thought to subsequently play the victim card, hide behind pathetic arguments about so-called free speech, or claim blanket immunity due to youth. As budding young adults, we were expected to know better, and at worse to acknowledge our mistakes after the fact while facing up to the consequences. I may have sometimes felt I was targeted, but in the end I learned to know better.
I am not that old - in my thirties - so seems a lot has changed in less than two decades, and standards have deeply regressed. Teachers and parents should be ashamed of themselves for allowing and then excusing such shameful, hateful, and despicable behavior. This would not have been accepted back in "my" day.
15
A teenage "lapse in judgement?" Spare me. That was vicious and entirely inexcusable.
23
Terrible story. However, I doubt this story would have been published if Hillary Clinton were president (and the exact same horrible things to this girl would have happened). And I expect more and more of these stories in The Times as we get closer to the election. Yes, I believe that.
5
To each his own preconceived baseless beliefs.
26
Sure. Try to defend the behavior with a bait and switch. Very helpful.
4
There's a lot to be said for the "good old days of corporal punishment." Those two obnoxious, bully boys would have been handled by a brawny male teacher. Publicly slamming them into the hallway lockers sends a loud, loud message to the culprits and the bystanders about justice and shame. Back in the day, fear seemed to work quite well to change anti-social behavior in schools. Today's "nice-nice" approach, not so much.
5
It's frustrating that people don't take hurting others as a serious issue. If you have to say "It's just a joke", that means it wasn't a joke, it was something offensive.
We've seen antisemitic events at our school where the perpetrators are "talked to" and nothing else happens. It's frustrating.
10
When a student made an anti-Semitic comment at one Catholic high school, the priest teaching the class immediately and publicly gave that student three detentions for un-Christian behavior. Message sent to him and his classmates.
20
Getting a ‘C’ in a class can also “ruin” your Ivy League dreams. Cry me a river.
10
To quote Sen. Amy Klobuchar: Who does this kind of stuff?
12
It is hard to hold back the tears when you understand the pain and suffering all people feel when faced with blatant anti-semitism. This should not be happening in the United States of America in the 21st century. Shameful and profoundly sad.
15
Ethnic, Catholic once not considered “white” Irish, Italian, Polish eventually fully accepted into mainstream, (terrible irony 1920’s KKK reemergence targeting Catholics, most Klan affiliates currently accepting now considered white Catholics). Most white Catholics supporting bigoted trump Administration. / Unlike formerly targeted above mentioned groups, Anti-Semitic scourge still poisonously existing. Why?
3
“One mistake when you are a teenager should not ruin your entire future,” said one of Paige’s former friends.
“That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.” -Dan Turner
7
@JustTheFacts: I'm a former Daytonian who spent a lot of time in Oakwood beginning as a teen. Although I cannot be certain, I'm pretty sure I crossed paths with the Turners at one time or another. I wish I had been shocked at Dan's words to the court, but that's not the case. This NY Times story is further evidence that excuse-making comes naturally to the privileged.
2
Living in Alabama working for the public school system, I have attended two mandatory full day harassment awareness meetings this year and it still is not enough. Pick your poison, race, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, on and on, hurtful bullying IS a major problem, made worse over the past THREE years.
It's no secret the societal divide is worsened by the current jerk in the white house. As for Mr. Moore and the two boys now at Cornell and NYU, I guarantee there opportunities to indulge in their sickened behavior, will continue, but I really feel, continued institutional push-back including ZERO tolerance, dismissal and public shamming and vocal opposition, will succeed in countering this disgusting behavior. I'd love to see a suite and judgement against the state. Those others will get their come upperance soon enough./
6
@george
sigh. you also didn't fully read the article. their admission was rescinded from both institutions.
#ReadingIsFundamental
3
The fact that this kind of hatred is not only tolerated and/or learned at home but is encouraged by a school educator to read "Mein Kampf" I am at a total loss.
I found the statement “There are no excuses for our behavior and we are not anti-Semitic" utter nonsense and extremely disingenuous.
I blame the parents of these high school kids as much, if not more than the students themselves.
I just don't understand how or why someone could hate another human being just because they are Jewish or Muslim, or Black or Hispanic or Russian or Gay or even a Republican?
Will the hate ever dissipate in this world? I don't agree with what these knuckleheads did to Paige and the emotional pain which was inflicted upon her. I don't hate them but I do loathe their behavior and find it despicable. And I just don't understand why people have to be so mean and cruel and hurtful.
29
Lord of the Flies.
9
The real question is what was the INTENT of the picture? The rock? The behavior?
As a 16,17, year old why would you not know the impact of these words and that they might offend someone. Aren’t these students being educated on how in a multi ethnic cultural society these negative words hurt and have a bad impact?
Isn’t saying just joking, just kidding a way to resolve a person of what they knew in advance was insulting and bad behavior. A way to not get in trouble
At its core this kind of behavior is meant to hurt and is a form of aggression
There is or should be no place in this country for this kind of ANTI behavior against any group!!!
15
"One mistake when you are a teenager should not ruin your entire future,”
Says who?
27
@breathe
Says decent people.
4
I doubt this was ‘one mistake.’ it was a thought out deed and then texted to students and an academic adviser...and won the support of the school..it did not seem to damage offenders...back in school...and onward Christian soldiers...this young woman has and will remember it longer than 20 minutes...sick...decent people? Not so much...
14
Sp anyone who doesn't go to NYU or Cornell has a ruined life?
11
Not surprised
It happened to me as a teacher at a school in the same area.
I was once asked, “why do you guys always have so many holidays?” After requesting time off for the high holidays....among other things as well.
Changed me forever sadly
I’ve gotten better at hiding my Jewishness ever since
20
It's unbelievable to me that a teacher could recommend Mein Kampf to students as a "great book" and not end up with an enitre horde of angry parents asking for their head on a pike. It sounds like the entire town is off.
44
@Display Name
That one statement more than any other illustrates the issue and the depth of the problem. Where were the parents. Approving? Laughing at the in joke?
Maybe, but most importantly they were and are.....Silent, they were silent
14
@Miriam My daughter attended MAST for four years and Mein Kampf was never recommended or required reading.
I'm disgusted by all the racism, bigotry and hatred in America.
Kids learn this ugly behavior from their parents.
STOP TEACHING YOUR KIDS TO HATE!
24
"Albert J. Rescinio, a lawyer for the boy who sent the photo, said “a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke” made when his client was 16 did not justify “attempting to ruin or derail the life of a young man.”
Let me re=phrase this:.....derail the life of a young WHITE man."
38
@bellcurvz
I’m guessing Atty Rescinio is third-generation Italian-American.
Pull up a chair, son. You need to hear some stories. Every “other” has endured some measure of hatred from the America they tried to join, yours included.
Unfortunate in that light, that you chose to defend the oppressor.
1
"a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic joke" If you're the parents or the aggressors, too bad you don't know what any of those words mean - what is funny here? What is tongue-in-cheek? teach your children that "adolf is our last hope" isn't a joke BECAUSE IT'S NOT FUNNY
26
Also, how is it sarcastic?
We wrote Ih8 Jews, but we're not anti-Semitic. I hate Jews is the definition of anti-Semitic.
52
As a Monmouth resident and a junior in high school, I'm sad to say that sort of discriminatory language is common. My 7th grade brother's Muslim friend has been called a terrorist by his classmates on multiple occasions. Groups of kids at my high school have been overheard joking how homosexuals should be gunned down. It's the sad, almost unbelievable truth of a lot of my county that is faced by minorities every day. The Monmouth County Vocational School District is supposed to be for the best of the best, but it seems that often times it ends up being the most elitist of the elite.
36
Lest anyone misunderstand, the math in this story is 6,000,001.
And do not dare to imagine that it is anything less.
All these roads of antisemitism, including this one down the Jersey shore, lead to? To Auschwitz, Treblinka, Chelmno, Maidenek, Belzec, Sobibor.
29
Take away the funding for this anti-Semitic school. There is no place for this kind of behavior. Throw those kids out on their ear.
29
Its not a coincidence that anti Muslims attacks are proliferating in India under Modi and that racist and antisemitic incidents are growing in this country under a President that deems Neo Nazis 'good people" and talks about subjecting protesters (the ones that are against him anyways) to physical harm.
14
@Milliband Muncie and Jersey City massacres were not committed by whites. Both incidences were supported by many in the black community including Board of Education member Joan Terell and members of the NAACP.
I am not Jewish and I find what was done to this young woman shocking and abominable. Ruined those boys lives! No, they did that all by themselves. A teacher recommending Hitler's book? Wow. What is wrong with people any more? Why all the hate? Mr. Moore, your school is a mess because you are incompetent. Shut the place down. It's a cesspool.
47
Am surprised that high school students even have an opinion about other racial groups, other than maybe what their parents instilled in them.
I grew up in the south, the son of a member of the John Burch Society. Even I was able to tell that my father was wrong in his opinions.
Personally, if some kids did that to mine, I would have a serious and personal talk with their parents.
16
I see this as a free speech issue.
Suppose, during the 1950s or 1960s, a student had mocked the Catholic Church because of its opposition to abortion.
Should that student have been disciplined? Or is that opinion protected as freedom of speech?
@Norman That is not even close to what happened here.
Not.even.close
25
@Norman Choosing to have an abortion is a matter of volition. Being a Jew is not. Being black is not.
Do you understand now?
20
@Norman - There is a world of difference between criticizing an INSTITUTION because of its policy positions and saying you hate a particular group of PEOPLE - or admiring someone who exterminated members of that group. "I despise the Catholic Church for opposing women's access to abortion" is not hate speech. "I hate Catholics" is.
19
It's hard to imagine something more antediluvian than a military-oriented school on the Jersey Shore. I'm all for national service, but if these are the ranks they draw from, we shouldn't even have a Navy or Merchant Marine. The absence of real, genuine empathy among students, families and the administration is astounding and embarrassing.
18
Dear Paige,
I am so sorry to learn about the antisemitism, bullying, & retaliation you have experienced. I'm devastated to read about the utter lack of empathy from your former friends & classmates. What a feeling of persecution that must have been! And how incongruous with the high level of academic learning in the school! Imagining your pain brings me to tears. What a horrible way to be treated by your community & the people -- friends, classmates, teachers, administrators, coaches -- to whom you gave your trust.
I share the following to try to both affirm everything you are experiencing and to try to give you a bit of hope, comfort, and strength as you fight and heal.
I am a survivor of bullying too from my youth & teen years in suburban NJ. It still affects me (I'm now 30); the trauma is very real. At the same time, I have learned how to trust friends again & how to trust & love myself (it's a process!). I have met wonderful, authentic, kind-hearted people who are incredible friends. I have loving parents who support me. And working with smart & kind therapists has helped in my healing process, too.
I pray that you are able to heal quickly. That you recover your strength. And that you meet people who can be your friends, teachers, & community, who are worthy of you. You seem like a remarkable person, with sensitivity, purpose, & a strong sense of right & wrong. I hope others soon recognize your powerful light.
With love, admiration, gratitude, & deep respect,
Shira
32
When I started reading the article, I thought 'bias incident' is a terrible term; it's almost designed to make things look terrible - we accept teenagers do stupid things sometimes, why do we have to ruin their lives when they are likely capable to turn into good and productive citizens, learning from their mistakes.
When I finished the article, I thought the problem wasn't (just) the teenagers, and there's a lot of cause for concern.
11
Anti-semitic harassment, and a photo distributed to a group, as part of a series of slights and targeted incidents, is not accidental at a school and in a community. And this example is what was reported by one person.... It reflects what the adults are modeling and whispering behind closed doors. Face the facts, quickly and early, and insist on accountability - especially for an educational institution that receives taxpayer dollars. Unacceptable.
20
It seems that when these teen incidents occur, they are excused as a joke. However, rarely do we hear the words “I did it,” or “my child did it.”
No real acceptance of responsibility. No understanding that words and images can cause hurt. Nothing akin to “I had to think about this before I did it, and I still did it.”
Then there is an attempt to create a moral equivalency by turning the perps into victims, especially by their parents. No, there is only one victim here and that is and continues to be the recipient of hate.
17
While it's disheartening to see young people being antisemitic and hateful, it's even worse seeing their parents and the adults in their lives, just being extremely dismissive of this behavior as if bigotry and bullying were jokes. How horrifying.
22
Casual anti-Semitic behavior at a military school? Is that supposed to be shocking? Seems like every year military culture is linked to hate incidents. How many of our homegrown terrorists have military backgrounds? Would love to see more writing about this startling phenomenon.
7
@Clark In 2012, a white Army veteran attacked the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin killing six people and wounding three others. Complicated story. He thought they were Muslim.
A New York Times reporter investigated and found that the killer had been radicalized in the army. This was a result of the Bush administration lowering its standards for army recruitment. White supremacist and Nazi tattoos were now permitted and once these overt racists got in, they did their own recruiting from within the ranks. We actually accepted out and proud racists into our armed services because we needed the bodies.
Yes, I also want to see more of this type of reporting.
1
More of the real ugly underbelly of our wonderful MAGA society. Those kids don't get their values on their own. Where are the parents in this?
19
There are far better communities and schools that would welcome a fine young lady like that. She should pack up her books, give them an obscene gesture and go succeed at a better place.
13
I hate to say it, but this doesn’t surprise me. People tend to think antisemitism, racism, and other forms of bigotry only happen somewhere else. They tend to believe well off suburbs are somehow immune to these things.
.
They aren’t. If anything it’s worse there.
15
James Baldwin has an essay in which he addresses the anti semitism of the church. I think the root is, that wherever the gospel is preached, anti semitism is practiced. Consciously or insidiously.
Recently I was asked, sincerely, 'what is it about you people that everybody has always hated you?' As a Jew, I will never be white enough for some, and always too white for others.
America is a nation of many bigotries. Donald Trump said 'hate is useful, it gets things done.' It propelled him to the White House, where he practices what he preached. Before, our hatreds were something to be chagrinned about. Now they are something to celebrate.
9
I grew up as the only Jewish kid in an update New York town. I heard a lot of Jewish jokes; plays on my last name. People tried to "jew you out of" money. For some reason I never internalized it or took it personally. I guess I figured it was all just "dumb jokes".
In hindsight, I grew up in Trump Country.
There's a reason I don't live there any more.
Sad to see it happening in Jersey too. It's 2020, you'd think people might have evolved, but apparently it's too much to ask.
20
The one time I was called a "Dirty Jew" in high school in the mid-80's, it was by the son of one of the science teachers. I told his dad what happened right after the event, and it was never an issue again, which was good since he was a lot bigger than me.
It didn't bother me that much because by that age I realized the kids who had called me names when I was younger usually had troubles of their own.
That particular kid died in his early 40's of alcoholism.
7
Clearly any sane young person who was smart enough to be admitted to this school knew drawing hate messages in sand was wrong, and yet they did it. The parents of these students are more than likely the teachers of the anti-Semitic behavior. I find it hard to believe any of this harassment was tolerated, especially since it sounds as if it went on for years. What is wrong with these people? Teachers telling students to read Mein Kampf because it is a "good book". My God what has become of our country?
It sounds eerily similar to the Miller Beer factory where racism and sexism was rampant and more than likely led to the last work place gun massacre.
13
...Chosen people, the Chosen People? "Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!
- Golda Meir June 10th 1973 - Mrs. Meir made the comment in a speech at a state dinner for Chancellor Willy Brandt of West Germany.
Look America, when xenophobes take over in government and "Circle The Wagons", this sickness trickles down and manifests everywhere.
Our government's failure to insist on the best and brightest citizenry, excellence in all families of all economic levels, including nutrition, healthcare and education, this failure by our government has created generations of undereducated, emotionally driven rabble that exhibit the worst in humanity, not the best.
This is the GOP in a nutshell. They serve their masters in the 1% and the 1% wants a 'dumbed down' easily manipulated
citizenry. Sure, you and your family have voted for the GOP since Eisenhower and before. It's family tradition. But think carefully, the GOP has changed since then.
They do not serve the electorate, they serve the elites who line there pockets with unlimited campaign funds and legislation they want passed to protect and secure their oligarchy in America.
We fought a revolution from 1776 -1881 against this.
Wake up Republicans. You party's train is way off the tracks and it will take a long time to get it back on the tracks.
Vote Democrat.
10
I find this utterly disgusting. When I was in school in the 50's and 60's, we were taught history. All of it, good and bad. And that included the atrocities committed against Jews, and Gypsies and other "undesirables" during WW ll at the hands of the Germans. As we matured, were were encouraged to read The Diary of Anne Frank. I dare say that what the Jews and others went through during that time period barely covers a couple of pages and discussions are minimal in today's curriculum. Just a guess mind you.
6
This sounds like something Bart Kavanaugh would have done. We all know that he's not a bad guy. Give those boys a break!
10
@Zipster
Do you mean Brett Kavanaugh? Talk about jumping to wild conclusions. What kind of logic is this? Get hold of your emotions.
2
@Magawa7
The moral character of an individual who would attempt to rape a person probably bears some similarities to one who would publish anti-semitic
statements.
1
This is so disturbing. The photo itself is deeply upsetting, but the rampant justifications that “ It was a stupid joke”, makes this alarming. And that casual ok-ness is the most dangerous part of it. The students and school were still victimizing her. The school community didn’t emerge wiser or kinder. They dug their heals in! Yes. The boys should have lost their college admissions.
14
@NA
they did lose their college admissions. as the the article states twice.
6
Young people do stupid things; they always have and always will. The offending students should have been disciplined, perhaps more severely than a 2-day suspension, but this does merit a legal case.
It was foolish, immature behavior but a slap on wrist truly IS the proper response, followed by suspension, followed by expulsion if the poor Behavior does not abate.
3
I meant to state that this does NOT merit a legal case. Yes, the behavior was inappropriate, but there are several "tools" available to administrators to handle poor student behavior. Using the legal system, in this case, is an overreach.
Mark, you call the behavior “foolish, immature”. You see, that’s where you’ve got it wrong. The behavior was deliberate, well thought out, and completely adult. These young men were very carefully taught to hate and acted in a well thought through way to maximize the hurtfulness. Unfortunately, their conduct was quite mature. There needed to be clear, unequivocal, unmistakable consequences. It was they who should have been ostracized. Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen. They still don’t know what they have done.
4
What these boys and girls will think of themselves ten years from now. Ashamed? Proud? Hateful? Yeah Jojo.
Shockingly, Mr Rescino, the boys’ attorney is a gun friendly attorney, according to his website. So I guess once these kids shoot out the school, he can proudly represent them, too.
9
When will the bullying end . I am for on line education for college. We have to many young people being bullied ,physically and sexually assaulted on college grounds. If that is not enough you have to pay back college loans decades into your working career if you are lucky to get a job. What a waist of time.
1
'The letters stretch over 30 feet, written into the sand on a beach in New Jersey. The teenager in the photo rests casually on his side above the words, smiling, his head propped up in his hand.
“I h8 Jews,” the words read.'
A smoking gun. The boy advertised his hatred of Jews, he went on record. No ambiguity. Not a crime of passion, but premeditated and executed coldly. No excuses. He actually got off easy.
22
This is no surprise. In the 70’s, for one year, I was the only Jew at a semi rural high school. The racism became overwhelming and the school did nothing. I had to deal with it personally, unfortunately like the “Bear Jew” in Inglorius Basterds (sic) - yup, one surprise baseball bat to the face of the worst offender ended the bullying (and that jerk even looking at me!).
5
Hitler again. I know something about this, having suffered from it myself, although I’m not actually Jewish; just part, nor even religious. It has a strange, Tumpian allure.
The “struggle”period of 1927-1933, often overlooked, was not so long ago, which doesn't make it so very far away, nor so very far removed from us that “it can’t happen here.” It most certainly can, and does all the time as background noise, countless small ways like this sad story reflects. It is the purest societal anomie imaginable.
Adolf Hitler was actually the dregs of civil society, raised up high. His absolute dictatorship was and remains deeply reprehensible. He is believed to have cruelly killed about 60-million human beings. He accomplished it through others, his “willing executioners”, as Andrew Goldhagen described them.
Contemporaries saw him and it as that, many uneasily. But they obeyed. Science was perverted to support non-scientific ends. Denial and loyalty were two key features of his torrid reign.
He was a dyed-in-the-wool social revolutionary who destroyed Bismarck’s Germany, then all Europe.
Some relics remain, old forts — but mainly his squalid ideas, which still freely circulate. He was a profoundly disturbed, and troubled, man. We still wrestle with the dire consequences of the world war fought against him and it today.
It was a feast of jackals that he unleashed, and it lasted a Hellish two decades before the Allies forcefully put a stop to it.
4
Wait a minute, a teacher who recommended Mein Kampf "as a great book"?? Is this part of military, or specifically US Marine, culture? Not another word about that teacher?
44
@Joshua Gillelan -
If you believe that it’s a great book, then I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Even Hitler regretted writing at least some of it.
3
There is no reason why the taxpayers of New Jersey (black, brown, jewish, muslim) should continue to fund a school that clearly views itself as catering to the white majority who appear to be highly bigoted.
131
Right, as though there are no black, brown, Muslim, Jewish bigots. Most of the anti-semitism I’ve run into has come from the first three groups listed here and ignoring the mass attacks murdering orthodox Jews in Jersey City and Westchester recently.
5
Of course there are bigots in all demographics, but in my experience as a university student, the recent surge of anti-Semitism among youth is exclusively a White Christian phenomenon.
10
Seriously? That’s your retort? What on earth does that have to do with the subject of this story. Your post doesn’t provide perspective. It just makes it seem as though you are in support of the school and the students who participated in this heinous bullying.
5
If you have never laughed at a joke that was at the expense of someone's race, gender, religion, sex, appearance or age... then you are entitled to be angered by the teen boys in this article.
Everyone else is a hypocrite screaming into an echo chamber. To hold one group as being off the table for offensive humor but another is completely okay to make fun of is an absolutely ludicrous claim.
3
@Michael What are you talking about? No commentator has said anything about making fun of another group. Racism and antisemitism are never ok. By anyone. For any reason. It's not a joke. It's hateful and it hurts. And no I don't laugh at jokes at the expense of someone else who doesn't look like me. I was obviously taught differently than you.
120
@Michael
Trump has made overt racial and religious hatred perfectly acceptable. It is bad enough when concealed or condoned by the general publicas an undercurrent but when the "leader" makes it acceptable no one should be surprised at things like this.
20
@Michael
"If you have never laughed at a joke that was at the expense of someone's race, gender, religion, sex, appearance or age..."
If a person wants to make jokes at the expense of some other group and do it in a very public manner along with a photo, then they obviously do not find it to be wrong. That is a problem. The defenders of this and other incidents that took place are also an issue.
If you are going to hate and do it openly, what can you expect as a response in a civilized society?
27
It sounds like there was indeed a problem here, but the data and statistics, especially as reported by an organization like the SPLC, are hard to have much faith in. (There is some reporting out there that exposes their “hate map” as an absolute joke.)
Kids and even young people do say outlandish, stupid things that are meant to be outrageous; the fact that society has decided to put “race” politics as the holy unassailable grail at the moment likely does not register much with juvenile brain chemistry. My friends from other “races” routinely make fun of my race and “racial attributes” and we all laugh. They also make fun of themselves.
There is a cost for conflating such behavior with actual bias/harassment, and the cost is lack of clarity on the depth of the problem and a general sense of skepticism.
1
@John There’s no “conflating” here. People are what they do. These anti-semitic acts and statements are those of anti-semites, plain and simple.
30
This article struck me as on the hysterical side. It just smacks of drama to me. I see a few commenters who claim they attended the school at the time and that it was inaccurately reported. I would have liked to have heard more from such individuals.
4
@Savvy Yes, religious bullying and shunning is indeed "dramatic".
7
@Savvy -
But they won’t talk, out of fear of stepping out of the shadows and being counted.
4
“hysterical”? “smacks of drama”?
Just wait until it’s you. Then you’ll find it real funny.
1
I would bet a fair amount of money that most of the people who harassed Paige consider themselves (as I consider myself) to be on the left.
This is us.
9
@Ted Pikul
Considering the area, I strongly doubt anyone was a leftist. Extreme leftists criticize Israel, not Jews.
Or are things different in the "interzone"?
4
@Ted Pikul -
“The left” is a term describing the side of the room used by non-Bonapartists and non-royalists in the French National Assembly; to prevent brawling. It’s an imported political concept.
There is no bonafide “left” in the United States.
2
@Ted Pikul thank you Ted. I suspect this is getting a lot of coverage because given that it's a military academy people are assuming that it's white right-wingers. They very conveniently ignore that in Jersey City a school board member openly supported the massacre perpetrators who had been targeting Jewish children. she got an enormous amount of support from the black community who protected her. That story is even more sickening than this one. But of course the Times won't do a follow-up because they downplay the wrongs when they are committed by their favorite demographic
1
Bullying is a rite of passage for most people during high school. I know it was for me, even before I myself became aware of my sexuality.
Yes, actions of have consequences. But so too do attempting to solve problem by turning to authority figures for all the answer. Guess what: they don't have them. Not in high school, not in college, not in the workplace.
I have to wonder whether genuinely Paige expected things would turn out differently. She either should have developed thicker skin or withdrew from MAST quietly.
4
I have to respectfully disagree. No student should have to endure bullying. Full stop. She should not have needed to withdraw from her school. She deserved much better support than she received. That said, in an age of social media, all schools need more resources and training to deal with this kind of bullying. And I would include adequate support and education for 16-year-old boys who do very harmful things when their brains are not fully developed.
41
Paige was the targeted victim, not the perpetrator! It was not her responsibility to solve this problem or have to leave the school. The administration, teachers, and students should be ashamed at their conduct.
43
@Jason W Why are you blaming the victim? Why should bullying be seen as a rite of passage? There may always be bullies but there is no excuse for accepting their behavior.
32
We can all thank Trump for being against all forms of hatred towards Jews, minorities, war heroes, sane people, and people of high moral character. Thanks Jared for speaking out against those who hate because of your religion. Silence is death!
30
Anti semitism is wrong but so is anti Catholicism. As a Catholic, I have read articles in The NY Times and the readers comments that I have found offensive to my religion. Let’s be respectful to each other’s religion and background. We all have feelings.
16
Distraction and ‘whataboutism’ is not a meaningful way to confront bigotry
28
This isn’t about Catholics. It’s about the racism at a public high school and the fact that they did little to stop the bullying and shunning and anti Semitism. It’s about the failure to lead and how this president has brought out the worst in people.
21
@KMW Oh please...
List what you thought was as offensive as what was listed in this article.
10
These sorts of dog-whistling bigots (which is to say, almost any white upper-class East Coast high school student, among many others) should be required to tour the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., and then then submit to appropriate records a detailed report of the Holocaust and of their visit to the Museum.
We begin to forget. What happened then cannot happen now.
It wasn't an aberration; it was a decades-long program that killed many millions of innocents. Not all of them were Jews, although Jews were the principal targets.
Fascism finds it's beginnings in the ranks of the far-right, more often than not. Trump has provoked and energized such, and already has blood on his hands. No more.
Enough.
42
“Almost all” white east coast high school students are dog-whistling bigots? That is a horribly inaccurate and sweeping generalization.
4
I lost you at the “almost any East Coast white high school student... The rest of what you said was intelligent but not that.
We used to give people medals for killing Nazis. That makes me smile. My grandfather and his brothers got some. That is true Americanism.
20
Religious prejudice is an unfortunate byproduct of religious belief. No one's civil rights should be lessened because of what they believe.
However, were I to declare myself chosen by God to inherit the earth, any special part of it, or for any other purpose, I would would not be surprised if people not inclined to make such claims might be offended.
No reason to be aggressively obnoxious in return, however.
3
@chandos11
I guarantee you, these kids know nothing of the Jewish religion. They get the anti-Semitism from their family, friends and trump.
9
Not cool. This is my county and this the first I’ve heard of it. I’m nauseated by this. I’m Catholic and it sickens me to think of the many I’ve known who would be targeted and hurt. This county has many communities with a strong and healthy Jewish population, many originally from Brooklyn. I’m a fan of these good people I’ve grown up with.
17
I had a conversation with a white colleague recently about why the Confederate flag is so offensive - he's flown it proudly as a way to be 'edgy' and contrarian. Once he conceded that, yes, in the South, it is a symbol of hate, I pointed out that, as a black person, I don't have the luxury of contextualizing. This is a matter of my personal safety - I must presume that anyone wearing this symbol, whether they're in Mississippi or Massachusetts, intends to do me harm because I could be beaten or worse if I don't.
Anti semitism is no different. There is nothing cute or funny about racism. There is no such thing as 'taking it the wrong way,' reading it out of context or overreacting. People are trying to murder blacks and Jews in this country and there should be no pass whatsoever for what amounts at the end of the day to a threat against someone's person.
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I am white and atheist, and never suffered from racial and religious discrimination. But I could not agree more with the comment above. I can’t imagine how it feels to live feeling threatened, but I can certainly say that I would not want to live like that, and nobody else should have to either. Children should be taught that. We teach kids very early on it is wrong to hit their siblings. We can teach that all forms of discrimination is wrong too.
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Either these boys are lying about their feeling toward Jews or they are so stupid in thinking that this act wouldn’t be seen that way they they deserve to have their college admissions rescinded. Snicker all you want and denigrate people behind their backs but know that overt racism, anti-semitism, anti-gay behavior that you promote in public will carry consequences.
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