Danielle Kaminsky, a Jewish global history teacher at Origins High School in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, has filed a lawsuit against the school for failing to address a series of antisemitic incidents. These incidents reportedly included students making Nazi salutes, expressing admiration for Hitler, and sending Kaminsky death threats. The hostile environment was allegedly allowed to proliferate, leading Kaminsky to claim that the school effectively promoted and encouraged bigotry.
The lawsuit details a range of disturbing behaviors that escalated following the October 7 Hamas massacre. From October through March, Kaminsky was subjected to hateful emails, antisemitic chants, and threatening graffiti, including students marching through the campus chanting “f**k the Jews” and “Death to Israel!” while waving Palestinian flags. The school environment became increasingly intolerant, with swastikas drawn on school property and glorification of Nazi figures becoming rampant.
Despite Kaminsky’s repeated attempts to alert school administrators to the growing hostility, the lawsuit alleges that the school retaliated against her rather than addressing the issues. Campus manager Michael Beaudry, who supported Kaminsky and urged the administration to intervene, reportedly faced similar punitive measures. Both educators describe a culture of inaction and retaliation that exacerbated the situation, culminating in a “Pro-Palestinian Circle” that Kaminsky and others viewed as further validation of the hostile acts.
Schools Chancellor David Banks is reportedly set to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, which has recently scrutinized antisemitism on college campuses. This hearing comes as antisemitic incidents continue to surge in educational settings across New York City, reflecting a broader trend of increased tension and bias within schools.
Kaminsky and Beaudry are now suing for unspecified damages, highlighting their experiences as indicative of broader issues of racism and inadequate administrative responses within the school system. The Department of Education, according to spokesman Nathaniel Styer, has pledged to review the lawsuit, maintaining that students and staff deserve safety and respect in their educational environments.
The case of Kaminsky and Beaudry sheds light on the significant challenges educators face when confronting entrenched prejudice in schools, emphasizing the need for more robust protections and responses from educational institutions and policymakers.