In 2026, any mention of Israel seems primed to set off an outpouring of Jew hatred. Students at Scarsdale High School found that out firsthand this month when flyers advertising an “IsraelFest” event were torn down from around the school and deliberately shoved in urinals in the boys’ bathroom.
The “IsraelFest” event was to be hosted by the school’s Israeli Cultural Club to celebrate the 78th anniversary of Israel’s creation as an independent Jewish state. While the event did commemorate Israel’s founding, nothing about it was explicitly political. Announcements made clear that the focus would be cultural and advertised “Israeli food (and pizza), drinks and desserts alongside Israeli music and games.” No mention was made of Palestine or the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Despite the fun and casual nature of the event, some students at Scarsdale High couldn’t stand to witness any acknowledgement of Israel without committing a hate crime in response. They tore down the flyers placed on bulletin boards and school hallways and discarded them in urinals in the boys’ bathroom, sharing images of their handiwork on social media to brag about what they had done.
A suburb of New York City, Scarsdale is home to a large Jewish population, which makes the targeted crime even more abhorrent as it directly harms a significant proportion of the student population along with their families.
Scarsdale High School Principal Kenneth Bonamo spoke out to defend the students hosting the IsraelFest event and promised that an investigation to find the perpetrators is “active and ongoing.”
“The Israeli Culture Club was well within its rights to plan this type of an event, for which they sought and received administrative approval,’ Bonamo wrote in a letter to the school community. “Denigrating the club’s efforts in this way is wholly inconsistent with our values, both as a matter of basic fairness to support appropriate and approved student activities and because these actions constitute antisemitism.”
The principal also noted that when the student government posted on Instagram to advertise IsraelFest, the post generated “two replies criticizing the event using vulgar language.”
Despite the principal’s defense of the Israeli Cultural Club, parents of students at the school are finding it difficult to trust that Jew hatred is being combatted with the seriousness and efficacy that it deserves.
School Board President James Dugan became a focus of their mistrust when his 17-year-old daughter posted a photo of the flyers in the urinal accompanied by an entreaty to “Keep up the good work” along with several fire emojis meant to indicate support.
In the wake of the daughter’s comments, Scarsdale parents are circulating a petition calling for her father to resign as head of the school board.
“When a Board member’s immediate family is directly connected to the approval, encouragement, or defense of antisemitic behavior, it undermines public confidence in the Board’s ability to lead fairly and credibly during moments of crisis,” the petition states. “For that reason, we call for the resignation of any Board of Education member whose household is implicated in supporting these acts.”
In apparent realization that his daughter’s approval of a hate crime put his position in jeopardy, Dugan responded with a letter to the school community stating that “Recent events have provided a profound teaching moment for me as a parent and have impacted my family and me.”
“As a parent, I will focus on healing my family,” he added. “But as a school board member, my focus will continue to be on our students, our schools, and our educational program.”
The daughter also released a public—if anonymous—apology for posting and praising the image of the flyers in the urinal. “I know it was offensive and inappropriate and I wish I had never posted it,” she offered. “Nothing about that represents my values or those of my family. I’m sorry I did it and have learned a real lesson from the response.”
While school administrators have issued the usual platitudes about countering hatred and punishing the perpetrators, the incident has left an aftertaste of fear and anger in the community that won’t be easily washed away. If Jew hatred can find a footing in the heavily Jewish community of Scarsdale, it will continue to threaten the educational opportunities and free expression of students across the nation.