Today I am writing about an incredibly disturbing incident.
On Friday Jan 12th, during the regular school day, a swastika was found drawn on a bathroom wall at Ramapo High School. Hate crimes have no place in our community. We MUST come together as a community and do better.
I sent the below email to the members of all of the FLOW Town Councils and the RIH BOE last night. Please write to the RIH Board of Education and your town council and ask them to take action to prevent this from happening again. Their email addresses are included below.
From: KATHIE SCHWARTZ
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2024 6:09 PM
To: GoverningBody <governingbody@franklinlakes.org>; township-committee@wyckoff-nj.com; mayorkulmala@oakland-nj.org; saliani@oakland-nj.org; goffredo@oakland-nj.org; pignatelli@oakland-nj.org; mccann@oakland-nj.org; slasinski@oakland-nj.org; talamini@oakland-nj.org
Cc: rihboe@rih.org
Subject: Swastika at Ramapo High School
Members of the FLOW Town Councils,
On Friday, January 12, 2024, at approximately 2pm, during the school day, a swastika was found drawn on the wall of a bathroom at Ramapo High School. The incident was reported to the Franklin Lakes Police Department at approximately 2:35pm on Friday.
It is beyond disturbing to me that this happened in our community. Hate crimes have no place here, and action must be taken.
I ask the Town Councils to please work with the Police Department, the Bergen County Prosecutors Office and the school district to ensure that incidents like this that target members of our community are investigated and prosecuted appropriately, and that education is encouraged and provided to ensure that students are aware of the seriousness of hate crimes like this.
I am deeply saddened for our community today.
Kathie Schwartz
The following email was sent out on Thursday Jan 18 at 3pm by Ramapo Indian Hills Regional H.S. District:
Important Message from Dr. Baker - Interim Superintendent of Schools
To the Ramapo-Indian Hills School District Community,
The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District is deeply disturbed by the discovery of bias-related acts that have recently surfaced at Ramapo High School. We unequivocally condemn acts of hatred of all types.
Please be assured that the district immediately took action in response to these discoveries by removing the offensive symbols and language and notifying law enforcement. We are conducting an active investigation in coordination with our local law enforcement partners to identify those responsible.
We remain committed to ensuring that our schools remain safe, secure and nurturing spaces for all students. We understand that this situation may have a profound impact on our students, staff, and community members. Please know that the support services of the district are available for those in need.
The district has worked diligently to provide culturally responsive programs for our students in order to create an inclusive learning environment for all. As we move forward, we welcome your partnership in helping us promote an inclusive atmosphere in our schools.
Best,
Dr. James Baker
Interim Superintendent of Schools
This following letter, shared to me by a friend, was sent to the members of the Barnert Temple community on Thursday Jan 18 at 10am:
Dear Barnert family,
We are writing to share with you an incident that happened at Ramapo High School (RHS) in Franklin Lakes. This week a swastika and slur were found in a boys’ bathroom at RHS. Yesterday, Rabbi Steiner and Rabbi Waxman (Temple Beth Rishon) connected, and later met with Jason Shames, CEO Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey (JFNNJ), and Alana Burman, Director of the Jewish Community Relations Committee of the JFNNJ. We confirmed that the incident has been reported properly to law enforcement. Because the JFNNJ has done this work with so many schools in our area, they have various resources to share with the school administration.
Rabbi Steiner, Rabbi Waxman, and Rabbi Kaplan (Chabad) have reached out to RHS Principal Travis Smith to request a meeting with him and local rabbis to discuss ways we can partner to ensure that Ramapo High School is a place where all students and families feel valued and safe. Principal Smith responded quickly to affirm his interest in having this conversation.
Antisemitism, in all forms, has no place in our communities. We remain committed to being your partners in responding to and reporting incidents as they occur, to finding the right tools for education where they are needed, and to inspiring vibrant Jewish living here at Barnert and the surrounding community.
As a reminder, in addition to notifying the appropriate parties (i.e., ADL, school administration, or local law enforcement), we also encourage you to let us know if you or your children experience acts of antisemitism in our community or schools. Also, if you have a child at Ramapo High School or another area high school and you want to speak with either of us, please reach out. We are here for you, and our contact information is below.
As a Jewish community, we are here to support and find strength in each other and to continue to build a world of kindness, safety, and love for all.
Rabbi Rachel Steiner
rabbisteiner@barnerttemple.org
Craig Solomon, President
craigsolomon@barnerttemple.org