Accusations of antisemitism were hurled at a New Jersey high school for reportedly banning yellow ribbons intended to symbolize support for the Israeli hostages during a club fair.
Parents of Fair Lawn High School students and the group StopAntisemitism also complained that the presence of Israel’s flag during the fair, which was partly promoting a trip to Israel, was not allowed because the administration deemed it too "political," the New York Post reported.
Meanwhile, the report said, members of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) were allowed to display a keffiyeh, an Arabic headdress.
"What happened at Fair Lawn High School is an alarming case of hypocrisy and blatant antisemitism," StopAntisemitism’s founder, Liora Rez, said. "This incident is nothing short of a direct violation of Jewish students' rights to express their identity and humanitarian concerns."
On Monday, Paul Gorski, the school's principal, issued a statement in response to the Post story.
"Unfortunately, the article in question is inaccurate — it does not include all of the facts or share the actual context of the situation," Gorski said in a statement posted on the school’s website. "To ensure transparency and provide a complete picture, the district is sharing this update with our community."
Gorksi said both MSA and the Jewish Student Union (JSU) were asked to make adjustments to items that had not been part of their original displays during the fair.
"The decision to ask both groups to modify their displays was made in response to the disruptive impact that certain items were having on the learning environment," the principal said. "The school did not take any position with regard to certain symbols or items that were added to those clubs’ displays but simply asked both clubs to restore their displays to their original content.
"The school appropriately ensured that the Club Fair event provided an open opportunity for students to explore the various clubs on display."
Adi Vaxman, founder and president of Operation Israel, a group that provides humanitarian relief to the Jewish state, is a mother of a Fair Lawn student.
"The administrator’s claim that the yellow hostage ribbon — a humanitarian symbol calling for the release of innocent civilians abducted from their homes and held in subhuman conditions by Hamas — is 'political' is deeply offensive and unacceptable," Vaxman told the Post, which added that between a third and 40% of the 35,000 residents in Fair Lawn in Bergen County are Jewish.
After saying the school condemns antisemitism, Gorski added Fair Lawn participates in the Anti-Defamation League’s "No Place for Hate" initiative and was "proudly recognized" with a "Gold Star” distinction from the group during a ceremony in May.
His words did not satisfy Vaxman.
"This selective application of rules further demonstrates the discriminatory treatment of Jewish students. The school’s response is extremely disappointing and fails to address these core issues," Vaxman told the Post.
"Their participation in the ‘No Place for Hate’ initiative rings hollow when Jewish students face such blatant discrimination and intimidation in their school on a regular basis. We demand concrete actions, not empty platitudes, to combat antisemitism and ensure true equality for all students."