East Brunswick High School has a problem and district officials don’t want to talk about it

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EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – It’s been four months since an East Brunswick High School teacher replaced a Jewish Student Union yearbook photo with a Muslim student group, causing an uproar in the community in a district with a history of turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism.

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

East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen described the incident as a “blatant anti-Semitic act” and the school district has hired an independent law firm to investigate. The investigation, led by Brisman Law, aims to determine whether the omission was intentional or an error. Chief Inspector Victor Valeski apologized for the damage caused and emphasized the importance of responsibility. He also expressed his deep regret for the pain this incident caused, not only for Jewish students, but for the broader community

The district paid for an independent attorney to investigate the incident. That investigation claimed it was simply a mistake.

“I think the lead advisor was, at best, negligent, but her actions could also be considered negligent. She should have paid more attention to details when selecting the photo,” claimed the report provided to the district. The district included the yearbook advisor’s name in the report.

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

“(The teacher) expressed deep regret for her mistake, and sadness that her mistake caused the uproar. She harbors “no ill will toward any group of people.” She was visibly upset as she discussed the possibility that she had done this on purpose, and vehemently denied that she had done so. As for whether another individual might have done that
purposefully changed the photo, she doesn’t think it’s possible as they would have done
to obtain her login and password. In particular, the electronic history of the page shows her
working on the page shortly before it was ‘sent’.

Both the Jewish and Muslim communities were affected, with Muslim students unknowingly noticing their photo being misused, leading to online backlash against them. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for a fair and thorough investigation, highlighting the risk of increasing harm.

This incident is not an isolated incident; The number of reports of anti-Semitic behavior in the district is increasing. Over the years, Jewish students have faced harassment in the form of verbal insults and offensive stereotypes. This pattern, combined with the yearbook controversy, has raised concerns about the district’s handling of intolerance and bias.

The district’s leadership promises to learn from this controversy and work to create a more inclusive environment, but the situation has clearly shaken the confidence of many residents. As the investigation continues, all eyes are on the school board to see how it resolves this issue and addresses the broader problem of bias within its schools.

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

According to one report 2017, Several students in the district alleged that administrators and staff ignored blatant anti-Semitism.

One student was told he was “stingy” because he was Jewish. Another said he was called a “stupid Jew.” Parents have criticized the district for being slow to respond to complaints, and when they do respond, parents feel the district is not taking complaints of anti-Semitism seriously.

At a school board meeting, students reported that swastikas had been carved into desks with the words “Kill all Jews” and “Hail Hitler.” In another incident, a student was given a note that read “KYS,” which is short for “kill yourself” with a swastika.

Parents later learned that the principal of the school where the report was made never reported the incident to the district.

“I promise you that we will be fully committed to reviewing our responses to alleged bias incidents. We have already identified, planned and in some cases initiated deliberate actions,” said school inspector Dr. Victor Valeski in a statement after this was brought to the board’s attention.

The school board has decided not to issue a statement to parents or students about the anti-Semitic incidents.

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

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

When asked this week how that program played out years later, Valeski declined to comment.

We also asked Valeski about Elenor Hannum, a teacher at East Brunswick High School who is running for political office in her hometown. In those elections, Hannum blames her Jewish opponent for “ruining” her city, and blames him for building synagogues and private schools for Jewish children. On a website she runs, she routinely posts photos of Jewish residents, slandering them and blaming them for the direction her city is heading.

Hannum has refuted that her claims against her Jewish opponent are because he is Jewish, but she was captured on video at several businesses earlier this year claiming otherwise. Through video obtained by Shore News Network and first-hand interviews with local business owners, Hannum posted petitions for elected office in dozens of businesses this summer.

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 material on the website, to which Hannum is an author and contributor, she uses photographs of Jewish residents with claims that they are “corrupt” and/or part of a larger plan to “take over” the city. In one photo she slanders the city’s mayor for posing in the photo with two Jewish men.

“Read below how (Jewish resident – ​​name redacted) who is a member of the JJCC, Jewish Community Center recruits neighborhood representatives. Were you asked to represent your neighborhood from the appointed chairman of the Planning Board? Only the Frum need apply. (he shows) his continued pro-Orthodox movement, which proves his deep conflict,” she reported.

She claims the person was not fit for office simply because he is Jewish.

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

Hannum is no stranger to radical behavior. She has filed a tort claim against the council seeking $500,000 in damages after she was called “off duty” at a recent council meeting, during which she called the local police, PBA and the mayor “corrupt.”