East Brunswick High School has a problem that district officials won’t talk about

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EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – Four months have passed since an East Brunswick High School teacher replaced a Jewish Student Union yearbook photo with a Muslim student group, sparking community outrage in a district that has had a history of blinding eyes to anti-Semitism.

The East Brunswick School District in New Jersey has faced backlash over its high school yearbook controversy. The problem began when students at East Brunswick High School noticed that the Jewish Student Union (JSU) was omitted from the yearbook. Not only were the names of the JSU members omitted, but the space intended for their photo was replaced with an image of Muslim students from another club. The move, which many local leaders and community members saw as a deliberate act of erasure, sparked accusations of anti-Semitism.

Mayor Brad Cohen of East Brunswick called the incident a “blatant anti-Semitic act” and the school district hired an independent law firm to investigate the matter. The investigation, led by Brisman Law, is to determine whether the omission was intentional or whether an error occurred. Superintendent Victor Valeski apologized for the harm caused and emphasized the importance of accountability. He also expressed deep regret at the harm this incident caused not only to Jewish students, but to the broader community

The district paid an independent lawyer to investigate the case. An investigation revealed that it was simply a mistake.

“I believe the general counsel acted carelessly at best, but her actions could also be considered negligent. She should have paid more attention to detail when choosing the photo.” says the report submitted to the district. The district crossed out the yearbook adviser’s name in the report.

On Thursday, we asked Superintendent Victor Valeski for the teacher’s name. Valeski did not respond to our email.

“(The teacher) expressed deep remorse for her mistake and sadness that her mistake caused confusion. He bears no ill will towards any group of people. She was visibly distressed when discussing the possibility that she may have done it on purpose, and vehemently denied having done it. Regarding the question whether another person could have
she deliberately changed the image, she doesn’t think it’s possible to the extent that they would have done it
to obtain her login and password. It is worth noting that it is shown in the electronic history of the website
I was working on the site shortly before it was “submitted”.

This affected both the Jewish and Muslim communities, with Muslim students unknowingly discovering that their photo had been misused, leading to a backlash online. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for a fair and thorough investigation, underscoring the risk of worsening damage.

This incident is not an isolated incident; There are increasing reports of anti-Semitic behavior in the district. For years, Jewish students have faced harassment such as verbal abuse and offensive stereotypes. This pattern, combined with the yearbook controversy, has led to heightened concerns about the district’s handling of intolerance and bias.

District officials promise to learn from the controversy and work to create a more inclusive environment, but the situation has clearly damaged the trust of many residents. As the investigation continues, all eyes are on the school administration to see how they resolve this matter and address the broader issue of bias in their schools.

We asked Valeski if he could explain the steps the district has taken in response to allegations of anti-Semitism, including incidents of harassment and bullying of Jewish students. He did not respond to our email.

According to A report 2017, many students in the district said administrators and staff ignored blatant anti-Semitism.

One student was told he was “stingy” for being Jewish. Another said he was called a “stupid Jew.” Parents criticized the district for being slow to respond to complaints, and when they did respond, they felt the district was not taking complaints about anti-Semitism seriously.

During a school board meeting, students reported that swastikas with the words “Kill all Jews” and “Welcome Hitler” were carved on the desks. In another case, a student received a note that read “KYS,” an abbreviation for “kill yourself” with a swastika.

The parents later learned that the principal of the school where the incident was reported never reported the incident to district officials.

“I pledge to you that we are fully committed to reviewing our responses to alleged incidents of bias. We have identified, planned for, and in some circumstances initiated, intentional actions,” school principal Dr. Victor Valeski said in a statement after it was brought to the board’s attention.

The school board decided not to issue a statement to parents and students regarding anti-Semitic incidents.

“The board did not support the blanket statement,” Valeski wrote.

Instead, the superintendent said the district will raise awareness about bias, harassment, bullying and bullying.”

Asked this week how the program was going, Valeski declined to comment all these years later.

We also asked Valeski about East Brunswick High School teacher Elenor Hannum, who is running for political office in her hometown. In this election, Hannum blames her Jewish opponent for “ruining” her city, blaming him for building synagogues and private schools for Jewish children. She regularly publishes photos of Jewish residents on her website, defaming them and blaming them for the direction in which her city is heading.

Hannum has denied that her claims against her Jewish opponent are because he is Jewish, but earlier this year she was videotaped at several companies claiming otherwise. In video obtained by Shore News Network and in first-hand interviews with local business owners this summer, Hannum has petitioned for elected positions at dozens of companies.

Some of these business owners told Shore News Network that Hannum told them, “If you want to stop the Jews, we have to win this election.”

In the material posted on the website of which Hannum is an author and collaborator, she uses photos of Jewish residents with the claim that they are “corrupt” and/or part of a larger plan to “take over” the city. In one photo, he defames the city’s mayor for posing for a photo with two Jews.

“Read below how (Jewish resident – ​​name redacted), who belongs to JJCC, the Jewish Community Center, recruits neighborhood representatives. Have you been asked to represent your neighborhood to the designated Chairman of the Planning Board? Only Frum requires application. (shows) shows his continuous pro-Orthodox movement, proving his deep conflict,” she reported.

He alleges that the person was unfit for office simply because he is Jewish.

Valeski declined to comment on Hannum’s anti-Jewish crusade in her hometown. Hannum is employed as a teacher in the East Brunswick School District. Students deserve to know who he really is.

Hannum is no stranger to radical behavior. She has filed a tort lawsuit against the city seeking $500,000 in damages for being called “defective” during a recent council meeting, during which she called the local PBA police department and the mayor “corrupt.”