Township officials in Manalapan have condemned the actions of high school students who made comments on social media about dressing up for Halloween as Adolf Hitler and children of the Holocaust.
Manalapan Mayor Eric Nelson said in a statement he was “deeply disturbed and heartbroken by the recent antisemitic posts,” which he described as “vile.”
The posts are being investigated by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, according to township committeewoman Susan Cohen.
Nelson issued the statement Wednesday afternoon, a day after Freehold Regional High School District Superintendent Nicole Hazel issued her own statement acknowledging the incident, saying “hate will not be tolerated and has no place in any of our buildings.”
Screenshots from Snapchat show the remarks of at least three Manalapan High School students discussing Halloween plans to dress up as Holocaust victims for Halloween with one of them planning on portraying Adolf Hitler.
Later, one student writes, “kill every last one please.”
Then another responds, “If (name redacted) says one more (word) to me that pisses me off, I’m sending her the TikTok of the gas chamber thing.”
Finally, one teenager wrote, “I filled my vape with the gas from the Holocaust.”
It’s not clear when the conversation on Snapchat occurred, though Hazel said it took place outside of school.
Cohen, a former mayor of Manalapan, said the comments were particularly upsetting for a personal reason.
“My parents are Holocaust survivors, so this hits me hard, especially what’s been going on in the world, and ever since October 7th, I really didn’t realize how much hate there is in the world.”
Two years ago, Oct. 7 is when militant group Hamas attacked Israel, triggering the ongoing war in Gaza.
The mayor went on to say that whatever punishment the students received is not enough.
“I appreciate the Freehold Regional High School District’s commitment to investigating this matter and taking decisive action,” Nelson said. “However, this moment demands more than discipline alone. It calls for education, dialogue, and understanding. Hate is learned — and so is respect. We must all play a role in ensuring that our young people understand the real consequences of their words and actions.”
The mayor said Manalapan is an inclusive and welcoming town and that the students’ comments are intolerable.
“The reported comments and behavior are not only profoundly offensive, but they stand in direct opposition to the values of decency, empathy, and respect that define our Manalapan community,” Nelson said.
Anti-Defamation League of New York/New Jersey Regional Director Scott Richman thanked the district for taking swift action.
“We are grateful to superintendent Dr. Nicole Hazel for unequivocally condemning antisemitism and to the Freehold Regional High School District for their year-round commitment to Holocaust and anti-bias education, including their partnership with ADL’s No Place For Hate program,” Richman said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Cohen, who helps head the township’s diversity committee, said she spoke with superintendent Hazel and Manalapan High School Principal Shawn Currie. Both declined to disclose how the 9th grade girls who made the comments were disciplined.
She noted there was an antisemitic incident in the township in 2012 when swastikas were spray-painted on stop signs in the Monmouth Heights neighborhood. No arrests were ever announced.
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