A New Jersey high school has been accused of “blatant anti-Semitism” for banning yellow ribbons honoring Israeli hostages while allowing the keffiyeh to be displayed.
In Wednesday’s incident at Fair Lawn High School in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, a Jewish Student Union club table at a fair was ordered to remove its ribbons.
At the request of a school leader, an Israeli flag on the same table was also removed. A keffiyeh was allowed to be displayed on the school’s Islamic club table, which was next to the Jewish Student Union table.
Parent Dr. Adi Vaxman was furious when she heard about the incident last Tuesday – hours before the Jewish New Year celebration of Rosh Hoshana.
‘The deputy director [Dr. Steffany Baptiste- Bosco] told the students manning the table that unless it was childhood cancer, the yellow ribbon was considered political and they were not allowed to display it.
The Jewish Student Union (JSU) table before students were told to remove the Israeli flag and yellow ribbon magnet
“She also told them that flags are not allowed,” said Dr. Adi Vaxman, whose daughter Maya is a senior at the school and a member of the Jewish Student Union. The Jewish Student Union’s Israeli flag was subsequently removed.
Vaxman was further outraged when he learned that Dr. Baptiste-Bosco allowed the school’s Muslim club to continue displaying a Keffiyeh scarf on the next table.
The keffiyeh is a traditional headdress worn by men in some parts of the Middle East and has become a symbol of support for Palestine since the October 7 attacks.
In a statement issued on Monday, Fair Lawn bosses claimed the incident had been misinterpreted and that both the Jewish and Muslim student clubs had been asked to remove symbols deemed political.
It is unclear which items the Muslim club had to remove.
Vaxman told DailyMail.com that she has contacted the school board, the superintendent and the principal about the latest incident.
“All they care about is appeasing us, silencing us and making it go away, but it doesn’t go away, they don’t deal with it and they don’t do what they need to do to make it stop,” said them.
The table of the neighboring Muslim club is pictured
A video recording showing the Muslim Student Union table with the keffiyeh display, but the Jewish Student Union table had to remove the Israeli flag and yellow ribbon
“Unfortunately, this is nothing new. “It’s a pattern: anti-Semitism in high school,” she said.
‘I’ve personally been fighting it for four years. We have had several incidents over the last four years and the number has increased over the last year.
Vaxman, founder of a management consulting firm, has also launched Operation Israelafter the October 7 attacks.
The nonprofit organization provides humanitarian assistance and essential protective, defensive, medical and personal equipment to Israeli aid workers and civil defense units, and where urgently needed.
Dr. Baptiste Bosco, deputy director
Vaxman said Baptiste-Bosco told students no videos or photos were allowed and were threatened with detention, but some students recorded what happened.
She said parents and students outraged by the ban contacted her to share their disgust.
Last week’s incident was just one of many that Vax said has rocked the school in recent months.
Six months ago, a swastika drawing appeared in the boy’s bathroom, while a Jewish student was allegedly targeted and attacked by a Palestinian student in the hallway.
Vax says her daughter is regularly harassed at school, as is her 13-year-old who attends high school.
Vaxman said her daughter went to school Monday nervously, but proudly wore an Israeli flag pin and yellow ribbon.
Her son was too scared to go because he was harassed daily by other students, she told DailyMail.com.
On Monday morning, the school sent out an email regarding recent media coverage of the October 2 club fair at Fair Lawn HS.
Vaxman shared the letter with DailyMail.com, expressing her frustration and claiming the school district was not being fair.
Dr. Adi Vaxman, pictured outside her New Jersey home, wearing an Israeli flag dress
Dr. Adi Vaxman with her husband and children
The email the school sent Monday morning
The letter referred to a New York Post story about the incident.
It said the story is “inaccurate and does not capture the entire face or reflect the factual context of the situation.”
They went into detail about what happened.
“During this year’s Club Fair, both the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and the Jewish Student Union (JSU) were asked to make adjustments to items that were not part of their original exhibits.”
‘The decision to ask both groups to adapt their displays was made in response to the disruptive impact certain items had on the learning environment.
‘The school took no position regarding any particular symbols or items added to those clubs’ displays, but simply asked both clubs to restore their displays to their original contents.
“The school appropriately ensured that the Club Fair event provided an open opportunity for students to explore the different clubs,” wrote in part.
Vaxman read the letter and told DailyMail.com that the school district is “lying… this is not true.” She noted that the evidence comes from the video she shared.
She added that on Monday – the first anniversary of the massacre of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas – an announcement was made by the director about “a moment of peace.”
“He didn’t mention October 7 or the massacre, let’s say the person who told me he shouldn’t have said anything at all because this is worse,” she said.
“I worry about my children,” she said. “My husband and I were raised by Holocaust survivors who fought back. We don’t believe in silence and neither do our children.’
Vaxman plans to protest outside Fair Lawn High School today and release 101 yellow balloons to pray for the release of the hostages still in Hamas captivity.
