Recently, a shocking outbreak of violence occurred at Hillcrest High School in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City. And the incident has since stirred up a heated debate about antisemitism and its implications.
On Monday, November 20, hundreds of radicalized students ran through the school’s halls waving Palestinian flags and trying to force their way into a teacher’s classroom due to her social media post supporting Israel. The school was put on lockdown and the NYPD had to be called in for assistance.
The scene at Hillcrest High School in Queens as a Jewish teacher hid in her locked office for hours while students demanded she be fired for attending a pro-Israel rally. pic.twitter.com/jzVCEofvJS
— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) November 25, 2023
The teacher involved in this incident asked not to have her name revealed due to safety concerns but she did give an official statement about it. She said that she had been teaching in the New York public school system for 23 years and was “shaken to my core” by what happened.
She also stated that no one should ever feel unsafe at school regardless of their opinion or beliefs. This incident has sparked conversations about how we can have meaningful discussions about challenging topics with respect for each other’s diverse perspectives and shared humanity.
Furthermore, it proves that ignorance-fueled hatred will not be tolerated anywhere within our city limits – something Mayor Eric Adams echoed in his public statement following the events at Hillcrest High School.
The vile show of antisemitism at Hillcrest High School was motivated by ignorance-fueled hatred, plain and simple, and it will not be tolerated in any of our schools, let alone anywhere else in our city.
We are better than this. https://t.co/y0sVuntwGo
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) November 26, 2023
Principal Scott Milczewski sent out an urgent message addressing parents after this violent outburst occurred on school grounds saying they need parents’ support with this situation as adults will always be outnumbered when dealing with large groups of students like is found at Hillcrest High School which has 2,500 students enrolled. He urged them to speak with their children so similar incidents do not occur again anytime soon.
Unfortunately, police were called back into the school just one day later when an 18-year-old student was arrested for aggravated harassment after making threats on a group chat online.
TERRORISM IN A NYC HIGH SCHOOL: Hundreds of teenagers rioted at Hillcrest High School in Queens, NY after they discovered a teacher posted a pro-Israel message on Facebook. They were literally hunting down the teacher and Lord only knows what they would have done had they caught…
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) November 25, 2023
