Borough President Donovan Richards went to Hillcrest High School to learn more about the antisemitic rampage from the students themselves.
Photo by Iryna Shkurhan
A Nov. 30 rally against antisemitism and support of pro-Israel teachers at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica was called off Wednesday at the request of the 9th grade teacher at the school who was targeted by hundreds of students who rampaged through the hallways to protest her support of Israel.
After videos of the Nov. 20 incident went viral on social media, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Schools Chancellor David Banks met with students at the school on Monday to hear their perspective. They also met with faculty members at the school.
Richards on Wednesday said he was not surprised that the teacher asked organizers to call off the rally outside the school.
“What does that say about this woman? Let me say this. The mere fact that she could have easily walked away from the entire school itself says that she has character, but it also speaks to her knowing her students,” Richards told QNS. “The teacher is coming back, obviously, so there was no need for the rally tomorrow. Muslim teachers in the school were talking about how she must return and how they’re working with her. This school is not some antisemitic black hole, these are real people in that school.”
During a meeting with around 60 students, Richards was impressed by Muslim senior class president Muhammad Ghazali.
“He said this Jewish teacher must return to school because this country was founded on the foundation of peaceful protests and democracy,” Richards recalled. “I will never forget that young man because he has a bright future, as a matter of fact, there are elected officials who can learn from him.”
Richards expounded on his disappointment with elected leaders who took to social media and slammed the students at Hillcrest “with a broad brush” instead of going to the school and hearing from…
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