Elite Stuyvesant High School perpetrated a “cover up” this week after hateful graffiti referencing the Holocaust was discovered in a restroom — by not telling parents about the “blatant antisemitism” scrawled on a toilet stall, sources told The Post.
The top-ranked school put students and families on notice that starting Tuesday, it will guard the boys’ bathrooms and take other steps to secure the spaces.
“Due to ongoing vandalism and graffiti, we will be locking the boy’s bathrooms and assigning a staff member to the 2nd and 7th floor – the only bathrooms that will be accessible to students wishing to use the boy’s bathroom,” says the email sent Friday by Dina Ingram, business manager and director of family engagement at the downtown Manhattan school.
“Until further notice, students will be required to sign in prior to using the facilities.”
Ingram also warned, “Vandalism and intentional destruction of school property will not be tolerated at Stuyvesant High School. Disciplinary action will be taken against any individual who engages in this type of behavior.”
The missive failed to address the graffiti’s chilling content.
The crude drawing in black marker depicts a person behind a counter with a text bubble above their head reading, “6 mil pizzas? We can only do 271K,” and a bespectacled, bearded man in a black hat saying: “Oy vey, stop noticing!”
Karen Feldman, a city middle-school teacher and Holocaust educator, said “6 mil” clearly refers to the six million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and its allies, and “271K” is a number used by Holocaust deniers to minimize the murders.
“Using the 271,000 figure to deny the Holocaust dangerously distorts history and fuels antisemitism. Seeing this referenced in graffiti at Stuyvesant is shocking—and a clear sign that our education system is failing,” Feldman told The Post.
“It’s deeply disturbing to see Stuyvesant — one of the top public schools in the country—— failing to address antisemitism.”
A Jewish senior at the elite school who asked to remain anonymous blasted the school’s response.
“I am disappointed that the school administration decries the destruction of school property but fails to address the blatant antisemitism depicted,” he said. “They have more sympathy for the bathroom wall than for their Jewish student population.”
It’s not the first time antisemitism has reared its head at Stuyvesant. Last year, students told The Post that hatred has plagued the school’s Jewish families for years.
The downtown Manhattan school is one of the city’s largest, with 3,254 students, including 72% Asian-American, 17% white, 4% Hispanic, and 2% black. A breakdown by religion is not available.
Feldman, who contributed to a damning report on the handling of antisemitic incidents in NYC public schools, said officials “are not following DOE protocols on discrimination when it comes to Jewish students.”
“Administrators should promptly investigate and thoroughly document all reports of discrimination or harassment,” Feldman said.
The school should also notify the DOE’s coordinator of compliance with New York State’s “Dignity for All Students Act,” support affected students, and report possible criminal offenses to law enforcement as well as discipline student offenders.
“Incidents motivated by Jew-hatred cannot simply be dismissed as ‘vandalism,’” said Michelle Ahdoot, a director of the Jewish civil rights group End Jew Hatred.
“Covering up and ignoring the warning signs of systemic Jew-hatred can no doubt lead to more attacks like the horrific act of antisemitic terror in DC,’ she added in reference to the murders this week of Israeli embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky and Sara Milgrim.
A Stuyvesant parent also faulted school officials for restricting restroom use instead of addressing antisemitism on campus, telling The Post:
“This would have been the perfect opportunity for the school to speak out against the rise in Jew hatred at the school and in NYC.”
Stuyvesant Principal Seung Yu did not immediately return a request for comment.
The DOE could not explain why the email to parents did not mention the antisemitic graffiti.
“We are investigating this matter and, should there be any evidence of antisemitism or other hateful rhetoric, we will take appropriate action,” a spokeswoman said. “Hate has no home in New York City Public Schools.”
Read the full article here
