New Jersey school apologizes for anti-Israel Ramadan letter

A New Jersey school district issued an apology after a letter on Ramadan with anti-Israel content had been sent by an assistant principal, NBC New York reported earlier this week. 

According to the report, the assistant principal of Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey shared a widely circulated note, which offered seemingly innocent information regarding the month of Ramadan, but also included some anti-Israel comments. 

Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, the letter stated the US is “co-conspiring” with the Jewish State to bar “Muslim Palestinians from partaking in Ramadan.”

The letter further noted that “the Israeli Zionist occupation enacts a genocide against” Palestinians. 

The note incurred severe criticism and parents’ complaints. 

New Jersey school responds to Ramadan letter incident 

“The document was not reviewed or approved by any district office or personnel,”  school Superintendent Dr. Kevin Gilbert said later in response. 

“While the intention of sharing the document was to provide a resource, serious content was overlooked,” he added. 

“This resource contained language that, at any time, would be inflammatory but, particularly now, is deeply problematic and inappropriate for our schools.”

“The language in the document does not reflect what we believe creates a community that values inclusivity and belonging,” Gilbert concluded.