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Anti-Semitism rages at famed Chicago school – including incident where some band members allegedly played Nazi Party anthem: parents

Anti-Semitism rages at famed Chicago school – including incident where some band members allegedly played Nazi Party anthem: parents

An elite private school in Chicago where a bullied student committed suicide has a history of harassment and anti-Semitism — including a disturbing incident in which some band members allegedly played the Nazi Party anthem, according to parents and new details in an ongoing lawsuit.

The $46,000-a-year Latin School of Chicago – where Illinois Governor JB Pritzger sends his children and where alumni include Nancy Reagan and bubble gum heir William Wrigley Jr. school community about the May incident and has stopped answering questions about it, according to messages reviewed by The Post.

The revelation comes as the city of Chicago has become a festering flashpoint of anti-Semitism. Last week, an Orthodox Jewish man was shot in the shoulder on the way to the synagogue, allegedly by an illegal West African migrant who shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire on police. Some in the Jewish community criticized city officials for not initially labeling the incident as a hate crime or identifying the victim as Jewish. suggesting it was a front.

According to reports from parents, some students at the Latin School of Chicago played the Nazi Party anthem during band class. Instagram @latinschoolofchicago

An administrator at the Latin school informed parents he was aware and investigated the band incident the day it happened, but later said only a few children in the class were playing the hateful tune, according to reports from parents.

Angry parents said there were no apparent consequences for participants and students returned to school the next day and participated in graduation activities, according to the reports.

“Many Jewish families do not feel welcomed or cared about,” one parent at the Latin school told The Post, requesting anonymity for fear of retaliation. “The school does not seem to be concerned about the safety of our children, which leaves us disappointed and feeling like an outsider in our school community.”

Troubling new claims are also outlined in a revised version $100 million wrongful death suit filed against the school by Robert and Rosellene Bronstein, parents of 15-year-old Nate Bronstein, who committed suicide in January 2022 after allegedly persistent bullying, both in person and online.

The parents of 15-year-old Nate Bronstein, who committed suicide in 2022, described a persistent culture of bullying at the school, according to a lawsuit. Family photo via CBS Chicago

The Latin School released a statement at the time saying that “allegations of misconduct by school officials are inaccurate and misguided” and that it would “vigorously defend itself, its faculty and staff against these baseless claims.”

During the 2022-2023 school year, after Bronstein’s death, a track captain yelled at a Jewish teammate, “Run, Jewish boy, run – there is money after all!” the family accused the court, calling it another example of persistent bullying with “little to no consequences.”

According to the lawsuit, it took Latin half a school year to address the track incident, and when it finally did, it allegedly happened in a closed-door meeting where students were told not to talk about it.

Bronstein’s bullying started because of false rumors that he had not been vaccinated and led to cyberbullying. Family photo via CBS Chicago

“There is no accountability at the Latin School of Chicago — not for students and not for leadership,” the Bronsteins told The Post. “Their entire school community knows it and can see it, so bullies are becoming more and more emboldened. It’s the same rotten culture that destroyed Nate.”

Bronstein’s torments began because of false rumors that he had not been vaccinated led to cyberbullying with a classmate even urging him to commit suicide via Snapchat, the lawsuit said.

“There have been numerous anti-Semitic cases that the school has essentially ignored,” another Latin school parent told The Post. “When problems are raised with the school, the school gives platitudes and nothing is done.”

The environment has led some parents to withdraw their children from school, the parent added.

Rye Country Day School, also known as Rye Country Day or RCDS, is an independent, coeducational college preparatory school in Rye, New York. google

Other controversial incidents at the school include the invitation of anti-Israel writer and activist Hoda Katebi to speak to senior school students in 2023. Ketabi previously served as communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations and as a member of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Palestine. University of Chicago.

“Katebi doesn’t just disagree with Israeli policy; she supports organizations that call for the destruction of Israel,” the co-heads of Latin’s Jewish Student Connection wrote in the school newspaper, The Forum. The students’ request to withdraw her invitation was rejected.

Former principal Randall Dunn, who was in charge at the time of Bronstein’s death, now attends the posh Rye Country Day School in Westchester. He did not respond to a message from The Post, but a representative for Dunn previously said allegations of misconduct by him in the Bronsteins’ case are false and unfounded.

Dunn is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Independent Schools. ryecountryday.org

The lawsuit is still ongoing and is scheduled to appear in court in December.

Dunn is also president of the powerful National Association of Independent Schools, which oversees 1,600 private schools across the country.

A letter introducing Dunn to the RCDS community incorrectly stated that Nate was attending another school, not the Latin School of Chicago, when he died, sources told The Post.

The Latin School did not respond to an inquiry from The Post.