EXCLUSIVE: Pervasive Antisemitism at School That Blocked Holocaust Survivor; Student Forced to Remain in Class After Alleged Harassment

In a continuing investigation into antisemitism and administrative bias at The Math & Science Exploratory School (MS 447), Belaaz has obtained exclusive video footage of a recent faculty/parent meeting where Principal Arin Rusch doubled down on her decision to ban a Holocaust survivor from speaking to students, as well as new accounts of antisemitism from previous years.

The footage, combined with a cache of emails obtained by Belaaz detailing years of unchecked antisemitism, reveals what head of United Jewish Teachers Moshe Spern described as a stark double standard.

While Holocaust survivor Sammi Steigmann’s presentation was deemed too “political,” without any examples of what content was objectionable, the administration has repeatedly defended curriculum and field trips featuring anti-Israel rhetoric and “Free Palestine” slogans.

In the video recording of the recent meeting obtained by Belaaz, Rusch addressed parents directly regarding the controversy.

“Given the information I had, I made a decision that this particular Holocaust speaker was not the best fit for our school,” Rusch stated in the meeting. “At the time, when I reviewed the speaker’s website… I found the slides to be political in nature. He had the slides on his website… and that’s why I made that decision.”

Rusch claimed that the Department of Education (DOE) policy requires a “politically neutral environment.”

However, a review of Steigmann’s presentation reveals that out of 77 slides, only one discussed Israeli-related issues. He defined Zionism, describing it as the “Right of the Jewish people to feel safe and secure in their homeland” and “A social justice movement for the Jewish people.” While some slides featured an Israeli flag background, Steigmann had explicitly agreed to omit discussions on Israel for the school talk.

After a public outcry from residents and public officials, including City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, Steigmann was ultimately invited to speak at the school.

Rusch read her original rejection email to the parents during the meeting: “In looking at his website materials, I also don’t think that Sammy’s presentation is right for our public school setting, given his messages around Israel and Palestine… I’d love to explore other speakers.”

During the meeting, a parent confronted Rusch about the disparity between her scrutiny of the Jewish speaker and the school’s embrace of controversial pro-Palestinian content, noting that the school recently featured artwork teaching about “protesting and keffiyehs.”

“I saw that there was, like an art project where there was teaching about protesting and keffiyehs… I’m just wondering what the stance is on the school regarding… bringing in political subjects, and why some political subjects are maybe okay and others are not okay,” the parent asked.

The parent continued, highlighting the contradiction: “It seems like… a speaker who isn’t… incredibly pro-Israel or anti-Palestine… is not accepted. And then this other artwork, which is obviously very… one-sided… is accepted. So like, how is that decision being made?”

Rusch attempted to justify the discrepancy by citing a DOE office called “Meeting the Moment.”

“Schools can facilitate age-appropriate discussions and engage students in age-appropriate activities related to current events… Discussions and activities should include and respect multiple points of view,” Rusch said, quoting regulations.

When pressed further on why a Holocaust survivor is barred while political artwork is displayed, Rusch offered a vague defense: “The school has to look at everything that is out there and then decide what is most appropriate for their school.”

Internal emails sent by Spern to Superintendent Rafael Alvarez, obtained by Belaaz, suggest the hostility toward Jewish students predates the current controversy.

According to Spern’s correspondence, the school has failed to adequately address severe antisemitic harassment dating back to 2022.

In a disturbing 2023 incident detailed in the emails, a teacher allegedly interrogated a Jewish child about a trip to Israel during February break. The teacher reportedly told the student, “Jerusalem is in Palestine,” and “Israel belongs to the Palestinians,” before launching into a tirade stating, “Jews should go back to where they came from — Jews from Poland should go back to Poland.”

When the parents met with Principal Rusch, she claimed her hands were tied. In an email to the family dated March 27, 2023, Rusch wrote:
“I consulted our legal dept and confirmed that I need to report the incident… I now no longer can investigate it myself–which means I cannot address the comments directly with the teacher at this time… Unfortunately, the DOE’s response time is often quite slow… So I’d like to further think through with you the supports we can put in place for [REDACTED] now.”

Spern noted in his email to the Superintendent that the Jewish student was forced to continue attending the teacher’s class daily, and “it’s been 3 years and the parents have never heard from the DOE or any investigator regarding this matter.”

Later that same year, the same teacher reportedly told students that “Ukrainians are Nazis” and that “Ukrainian police were trained by Nazis.”
“
The emails also reveal a terrifying security breach in January 2022, where graffiti was found in the school courtyard depicting a Star of David and a Swastika alongside the phrase “Kill Israel and the Jews.”

The parent in the video meeting also referenced a December 2022 field trip where students were taken to the Bread and Puppet Theater. During the performance, Jewish students were subjected to chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

When parents expressed horror that their children were exposed to calls for the elimination of Israel, Rusch defended the performance.

“None of the adults I spoke to found the tone to be anti-Semetic (sic),” Rusch wrote to parents at the time. “There seemed to be a distinction between the people and the national politics… They didn’t interpret this as criticism towards Jews or Judaism and I didn’t get the sense that the show presented Israel as a Jewish state so much as a country that is well-funded by the U.S.”

As of this reporting, Alvarez has not responded to the mounting evidence of systemic bias and safety concerns at MS 447.