Jewish Student Group Photo Replaced by Muslim Students in NJ High School Yearbook

East Brunswick High School in New Jersey is under fire after a yearbook blunder replaced a photo of a Jewish student group with a photo of Muslim students. Additionally, the section where the Jewish students' names were supposed to be listed was left blank, sparking outrage in the community.

A member of the Jewish Student Union expressed their distress to The New York Post: “We were shocked and disturbed when we got up to our page and saw what happened. It was disappointing, and it feels like they were trying to take our identity away from us.”

Christine Mahler and Jack Goldberg from the East Brunswick Jewish Center voiced their alarm, with Goldberg stating, “We have a very prominent Jewish community in East Brunswick, and everyone is very upset by what happened at the high school. We’ve never had anything like this happen before.” Mahler added, “We stand with the mayor’s office and our fellow synagogues in demanding a response from the district. We don’t want to pre-emptively pass judgment, but we need answers.”

East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen issued a press release demanding accountability. He asked pertinent questions about how the mistake happened, who was responsible, and what steps would be taken to address it. Cohen declared, “It’s downright upsetting and outrageous for you not to call it out for what it is: It is an antisemitic act. It doesn’t imply who did it, not making any accusation of who did it that’s up to the investigation.”

Brittany VanDyke, the yearbook’s faculty advisor, described the incident as “a mistake not caught in editing and printed unintentionally,” and assured, “We know what happened, we know our truth and we are working hard to rectify this situation immediately.”

Superintendent Victor Valeski also called for patience during the investigation, suggesting it could be a genuine mistake. However, he stopped short of labeling the incident as antisemitism without further evidence. “I’m gonna wait to find out what the investigation finds, because it could be a legitimate mistake. So I don’t want to call it antisemitism yet,” he said.

Valeski also extended an apology to the Muslim community, recognizing the unintended consequences of the error: “I want to offer sincere apologies to our Muslim students and families, as well. I am aware that the picture placed in the yearbook has caused pain for our Muslim students and for that I am deeply sorry.”

This incident is part of a broader trend of controversial content appearing in yearbooks across the country. Other schools, such as California’s Palos Verdes High School and Texas’ Bellaire High School, have also faced backlash for including anti-Israel material and comments in their yearbooks.

The East Brunswick community now awaits the results of the investigation, hoping for clarity and accountability.

Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter for more updates.