Here we go again, another high school in New Jersey, another incident of “selective” enforcement, this time at Fair Lawn High School. The controversy? The Jewish Student Union (JSU) tried to honor Israeli hostages with yellow ribbons at their club table during a school fair. Simple, right? But the school had other ideas. They ordered those ribbons taken down, along with an Israeli flag that dared to appear on the table. Their reasoning? According to the assistant principal, unless the ribbons were for childhood cancer, they were “political.” Meanwhile, right next door, the Muslim Student Association was free to display a keffiyeh, a symbol that’s increasingly associated with Palestinian solidarity, especially since the October 7th attacks.
Now, let’s talk about double standards. If the school was so concerned about keeping things neutral, why the inconsistency? Why allow the display of the keffiyeh while insisting that yellow ribbons—meant to highlight the plight of hostages—are somehow too political? It’s almost as if they’ve decided that some causes deserve more respect than others, and the JSU’s wasn’t one of them. This decision came just before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, rubbing salt in the wound for Jewish students who were already feeling targeted.
Parents, like Dr. Adi Vaxman, are understandably furious. Imagine being told that your child can’t quietly honor Israeli hostages with a yellow ribbon, but a keffiyeh—a symbol of a movement that many see as tied to anti-Israel sentiment—gets a pass. Vaxman didn’t hold back, accusing the school of “appeasement” and calling out what she sees as a clear pattern of anti-Semitism. She’s not alone in that assessment either. From swastikas in bathrooms to students facing harassment in the halls, she says that anti-Semitic incidents have been increasing, especially since October 7th.
And what did the school have to say about all this? Well, they issued a statement that seems to play down the whole thing, claiming that both the Jewish and Muslim student groups were asked to make changes to their displays. Sure, but there’s no clear mention of what was actually removed from the Muslim Student Association’s table if anything. The school’s attempt at damage control reads like a classic case of trying to smooth over a bad decision with vague PR language.
NJ high school accused of banning yellow ribbons honoring Israeli hostages: ‘Blatant antisemitism’ https://t.co/ve8rm6l7S0 pic.twitter.com/BTGM9MJpo0
— New York Post (@nypost) October 6, 2024
This incident has struck a nerve. Videos captured by students show the reality of what went down, directly contradicting the school’s narrative. Parents and students alike have had enough, and Vaxman is leading the charge with a protest, planning to release 101 yellow balloons in honor of the hostages still held by Hamas. This isn’t just about a couple of ribbons or a flag anymore—it’s about a community standing up against what they see as a clear bias and an attempt to silence them.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the school chose to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks with what they called a “moment of peace.” But somehow, in all that “peace,” they forgot to even mention October 7th, when over 1,200 Israelis were killed. Maybe the school thought they were being neutral, but when you omit such a crucial detail, it sends a message loud and clear. It’s no wonder parents like Vaxman feel their children are being let down, and that anti-Semitism is going unchecked.
Fair Lawn High School in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, bans Israeli flag and yellow ribbon hostage tributes – but says Palestinian keffiyehs are fine https://t.co/KZJ4LMQkh8
— A.C. Spollen (@ACSpollen) October 7, 2024
Dr. Vaxman’s family has a history of fighting back, with roots that go back to Holocaust survivors. They know the importance of standing up against prejudice, and they’re teaching their kids to do the same. Her children may be facing harassment in the halls, but they’re not backing down. They’re wearing their Israeli flag pins and yellow ribbons with pride, even as the school tries to push them into the shadows. Because, as she put it, this fight isn’t one they wanted, but it’s one they have to take on.
And really, isn’t that what it comes down to? When a school singles out a community, and refuses to treat all its students fairly, it’s no longer about education—it’s about standing up for what’s right. And that’s something Dr. Vaxman and many others aren’t willing to compromise on.
