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The first time you crack open your high school yearbook should be the first of decades of doing the same, lingering over photos that evoke cherished memories of a past time of growth and wonder.<\/p>\n
However, for the Jewish Student Union (JSU) members of East Brunswick High School in central New Jersey, opening their 2024 yearbook was far from the nostalgic journey they anticipated. Instead, they were met with shock and dismay. Their group photo, a symbol of their unity and identity, had been removed and replaced by a photo of Muslim students.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Friedman, president of the JSU, said she felt \u201cshock and hurt\u201d when she discovered her group\u2019s photo in the yearbook had been replaced.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels as if our identity as Jewish students has been symbolically erased,\u201d Friedman said. \u201cIt is extremely upsetting to witness the club for which I have served two years as president to be unseen and unrecognizable. I will always be reminded of this distressing event every time I open my high school yearbook.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Superintendent of Schools, Victor Waleski, attempted to address the incident as a \u2018gross lack of oversight\u2019 during a June 6 Board of Education meeting attended by nearly 750 parents and students. However, his words only ignited the community\u2019s anger and disappointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cShame on you,\u201d said a mother of two students in the district. \u201cShame on you for creating a clear divide in a time where there\u2019s heightened sensitivity globally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abby Aranovich, a junior, told the Board of being taunted and bullied at school for her religion, and her reluctance to report the incidents for fear of backlash and because \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what I say or report, nothing will be done. I\u2019m not standing here to demand attention or sympathy, but to convey a message that has been blurred, lost and overlooked. Our school is one of the most diverse institutions I\u2019ve ever seen. And that\u2019s the beauty of it. Everyone of every color, sexuality, gender, race, background is protected and respected. But from the latest action, this clearly doesn\u2019t apply to the Jewish student body.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting Ms. Aranovich\u2019s frustration with past inactions by the administration, Susan Antman, executive director of the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey cited \u201cthe district\u2019s, schools\u2019, administrators\u2019 and teachers\u2019 unacceptable missteps of the past, including dismissing one student\u2019s report of antisemitism\u2014not once, but twice\u2014saying the student \u2018wasn\u2019t offended enough.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Antman called on school officials to return to conversations with the organization and with local Jewish families to \u201cconstruct a path forward\u201d to correct those missteps.<\/p>\n
Muslim students, too, were affected by the yearbook fiasco. Muslim Student Association co-president Hasan Sayin said that his group\u2019s members have been blamed for the incident, with some being called names and being threatened.<\/p>\n
\u201cA majority of the kids in that picture are minors, and nobody, as it was getting spread around on social media to the national news, nobody cared for the safety of those minors,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd to think, to automatically assume that we, the MSA, would do this intentionally, as an act of antisemitism is disgusting. We\u2019ve been exposed to Islamophobia and further harassment because of a lack of authority on your end.\u201d<\/p>\n
School board members listened, thanked the speakers, expressed pride for the students who spoke up, and hoped for a speedy resolution and healing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does break my heart because I\u2019ve never seen this in East Brunswick,\u201d said Board President Laurie Lachs. \u201cI am incredibly heartbroken for them (students). I\u2019m not telling you that this was handled perfectly. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything that\u2019s ever handled perfectly, and we have to learn from our mistakes. And some people have asked for an apology, and I can only speak for myself. My apologies and I am incredibly sorry for what\u2019s going on for these children. And I\u2019m devastated to hear some of the things that have gone on in the high school. These are kids\u2019 lives and no kid should ever be made to feel that way and I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
A new photo was taken of the JSU, a new edition of the yearbook is being rushed to the printers, and students have been asked to return the present version. And a special counsel, Yaacov Brisman of Brisman Law of Passaic, is now investigating how the yearbook was tampered with and who was responsible for what East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen called\u2014possibly prematurely, possibly not\u2014an \u201cact of blatant antisemitism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Photo credits: Brunswick High School<\/a> by SilentMatt Psychedelic. CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![Brunswick High School<\/a> by SilentMatt Psychedelic.](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Brunswick_high_3_%282%29-.jpg\"){kind=link}