A New Jersey high school is accused of banning yellow ribbons, aimed at honoring Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas, at a club fair, a move critics described as “deeply offensive” and “blatant antisemitism.”
Fair Lawn High School also prohibited Israeli flags at the event, because administrators believed the flags were too political, some parents and the group StopAntisemitism allege, noting that members of the Muslim Student Association were permitted to display a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by men from parts of the Middle East, according to the New York Post.
The event, according to the report, was partly promoting a trip to Israel.
“What happened at Fair Lawn High School is an alarming case of hypocrisy and blatant antisemitism,” StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez told the outlet. “This incident is nothing short of a direct violation of Jewish students’ rights to express their identity and humanitarian concerns.”
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Between 33% to 40% of the 35,000 residents in Fair Lawn are Jewish. Fair Lawn in Bergen County is located about 17 miles from New York City.
This comes a year after Hamas terrorists’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against Israel, which led to military retaliation from Israel and sparked a still-ongoing war in the Middle East. More than 250 people, including some Americans, were abducted by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attacks. Many hostages have since been released, rescued or killed, while dozens are still held by Hamas.
One parent said the school district’s failure to address complaints about alleged antisemitism is not a new concern.
“The incident at Fair Lawn High School’s Club Fair is not an isolated event but part of a disturbing pattern of antisemitism that I and other parents have been battling for years,” Adi Vaxman, founder and president of Operation Israel, which provides humanitarian relief to Israel, told the New York Post.
“Despite numerous meetings with the board of education and the superintendent, promises of inclusion in anti-antisemitism efforts have gone unfulfilled,” added Vaxman, whose daughter Maya attends the school.
Vaxman continued: “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.”
Claiming a double standard, Vaxman said that the black-and-white keffiyeh, which she says is “a symbol of the armed resistance against Israelis,” was allowed to remain on display at the club event for hours.
“This glaring double standard exposes the bias of the school and the administrator in question,” she said. “It’s alarming that the school supports the Muslim Student Association identifying as Palestinian while censoring the Israeli flag for the Jewish Student Union. Israel is the world’s only Jewish state, naturally associated with Judaism and relevant to the [Jewish Student Union’s] advertised trip to Israel.”
Fair Lawn High Principal Paul Gorski released a statement defending the school’s response to ribbons and flags.
“We take pride in our Student Activities program as well as the leadership shown by both students and faculty,” Gorski wrote. “During this year’s event, both the Muslim Student Association and the Jewish Student Union were asked to adjust items that were not part of their original displays. Both groups received the same instruction and were treated equally.”
Gorski said no students were disciplined in connection with their participation at the club fair.
The principal also said the high school participates in the Anti-Defamation League’s “No Place for Hate” initiative and that the school was “proudly recognized” with a Gold Star distinction from the group during a ceremony earlier this year.
“We condemn antisemitism and remain steadfast in our commitment to creating an inclusive community where hate is not tolerated,” he said. “When we return to school after being closed for the Jewish holidays, we will engage in dialogue with our students and community. Hate has no home at Fair Lawn High School.”
Vaxman, however, maintains that the school discriminated against Jewish students during the club fair.
“This selective application of rules further demonstrates the discriminatory treatment of Jewish students,” Vaxman said. “The school’s response is extremely disappointing and fails to address these core issues. 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.”
