On Friday, April 17, a Scarsdale High School Israeli Culture Club poster, advertising “IsraelFest,” a celebration of Israel’s 78th Independence day, was found in a north wing urinal. Photos of the defaced flier rapidly circulated on social media, drawing local and national attention.

“From what we understand, [posters] were found in different bathroom locations throughout the school,” Israeli Culture Club President, Gabriel Green ’26 said. “It was very disturbing to see.” Other students shared similar sentiments. 

“I was genuinely in shock. I never thought people would hate on a school event that severely” Eden Hoong ’27 said. “I feel bad for the Jewish community at Scarsdale High School.” 

The Scarsdale administration was quick to respond. Later that day SHS Principal Kenneth Bonamo issued an email to the high school community, stating that “these behaviors are unacceptable and more broadly should be disturbing to the entire school community for the intolerance they represent.” The email clarified that the club had received administrative approval, and was “well within its right to plan this type of an event.” The email explained that while SHS encourages civil and respectful discourse about sensitive political issues, including disputed Israeli territories, this situation constitutes vandalism and “students should not resort to removing or desecrating others’ materials, especially in such a derogatory way and especially where politics and religion are concerned.” 

“This act of disrespect doesn’t leave room for a nuanced discussion,” Bonamo said in a statement to Maroon. “There is conversation that can happen, and that could have happened in an appropriate way.” 

Later that evening, Superintendent Dr. Andrew Patrick sent a follow up districtwide email, addressing several recent community incidents, including the “IsraelFest” poster. “We live in a time of rising antisemitism, political polarization, and a degraded civil discourse,” it read. 

Despite the defiled poster, the club decided to continue its plans to hold the event. “From the start we were absolutely committed to the event,” Green explained. 

With increased security presence, organized by administrators in anticipation of the event, “IsraelFest” was successfully held on Monday, April 20. “I saw plenty of security during the event,” Hoong said. The celebration began with a brief presentation by the club officers, and a recording of the Israeli national anthem was played.

Over 200 students attended the event, which featured Israeli music, dancing, food, and a letter of support from New York State Congresswoman Amy Paulin, which was read aloud. Politics were not discussed at the event.

“It is important to emphasize that our club is not political: our goal is simply to celebrate and share culture,” Green shared. In his portion of the presentation, Green emphasized the collaboration of Arabs and Jews in Israel, and how, to him, Israeli Independence is a multicultural celebration of heritage. “I think this reflects broader trends,” he added. “Antisemitism has been rising in the United States, which is very concerning.”  

Understanding local acts of antisemitism requires situating them within a broader context as these incidents do not occur in isolation, but are shaped by geopolitical events, media narratives, and transnational currents of ideology and conflict. On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants carried out coordinated assaults across southern Israel, killing civilians and taking approximately 250 hostages, triggering a war between Hamas and Israel that has dominated global attention. 

Across the world, there have been numerous recent incidents of antisemitic violence, including firebombing attempts on synagogues and the stabbing of two identifiably Jewish men in London, and the mass shooting of participants during a Jewish community Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia. Similar patterns of vandalism, shootings, arson, and other attacks have occurred in France, Germany, and Canada. In Kyrgyzstan, a hotel displayed a sign stating that “Jews and animals are not allowed,” sparking international outrage. The frequency of these threats have put the global Jewish community on edge and have required increased police protection of Jewish institutions. Together, they underscore that such violence is not confined to one region of the world nor limited to anti-Israel political protest, but rather represents a broader wave of hate crimes directly targeting Jews.

The United States has not been immune to antisemitic hate crimes, where over the past decade, even before October 7th, antisemitism had been on the rise and then further amplified by recent events in the Middle East. The Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) 2024 Audit recorded 9,354 antisemitic incidents nationwide, the highest in the organization’s history of tracking, representing a 344% increase over five years and an 893% increase over ten years. Already in 2023, the ADL registered 8,873 incidents which was a 140% increase from 2022, with more than 5,200 of those events occurring after October 7th.

Antisemitic trends have manifested especially acutely in schools at every level, from Kindergarten to college campuses, directly impacting young people. A 2025 ADL study of independent K-12 schools found that 25.2% of surveyed parents said their children had experienced or witnessed antisemitic symbols in school since October 7th. On college campuses nationwide, numbers are even more striking. The ADL reported 1,694 campus incidents in 2024, 84% higher than the prior year. Its joint 2025 campus survey with Hillel and College Pulse found that 83.2% of Jewish college students experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism since October 2023 as there has been a ten-fold increase in antisemitic incidents on college campuses as compared to the last year before the October 7th attacks.

As a result, efforts to combat antisemitism have expanded at national, state, and local levels. The White House’s 2023 U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism laid out a government-wide framework focused on education and security to counter normalization of hate and foster cross-community solidarity. A public awareness campaign, called the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, is an initiative of the Stand Up to Jewish Hate effort launched by Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in order to mobilize non-Jewish allies and to incorporate conversations about antisemitism into public discourse. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul has created a Center for Educational Civil Discourse with resources for schools to access, and signed into legislation a requirement for Title VI coordinators to be present on all college campuses. 

In Scarsdale, there has also been an increased administrative fight against antisemitism. On Wednesday, April 22, a team of Board of Education and SHS staff members attended a workshop on antisemitism, co-sponsored by the Westchester Jewish Council. Additionally, in an April 21 districtwide email from Bonamo and Patrick, it was explained that the Scarsdale Board of Education would be implementing a new set of guidelines for school sponsored events on May 11, 2026. 

The SHS Code of Conduct is also being amended: there is currently an addendum in progress to address student dress and behavior at extracurricular activities. “Unfortunately, what happened on Friday is one of a series of events that have happened here in the community. Students do have agency in their action, but not to the extent that it gets disruptive or offensive” Bonamo shared. 

These efforts, both local and national, show that work is underway to address antisemitism as a civil rights, educational, and public safety issue. The ongoing challenge nationwide will surround how to simultaneously respond firmly enough to protect Jews from antisemitism, while ensuring that legitimate political debate is allowed.