Stuyvesant High School students are teaching their classmates a lesson in hate, furious critics told The Post.
The student newspaper for the elite specialized city school ran a full page anonymous editorial in its most recent issue, accusing Israel of genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing — all while whitewashing Hamas’ depraved Oct. 7 massacre.
“Call it what it is: Genocide. Apartheid. Ethnic cleansing. For 75 years, Palestinians have been victims of blatant crimes against humanity as the rest of the world turns a blind eye to Israel’s atrocities,” the screed thundered on page 14 of The Spectator. “Before October 7th, Gaza was nearly off the radar, despite Israel’s relentless murder spree at the beginning of 2023.”
The article repeatedly dismissed confirmed reports that Hamas uses Gazans as human shields and has a network of tunnels underneath the territory’s hospitals.
“The intention of this article is to open your eyes to the true suffering that Palestinians have undergone before and after October 7 at the hands of the Israeli government and military.”
The piece also refused to condemn Hamas, saying Palestinians should not bear any obligation to speak ill of the the terror group, which massacred at least 1,200, committed mass rape and decapitated Israeli babies in their murderous rampage.
“Advocacy for the Palestinian cause shouldn’t always have to be preceded by a disclaimer that centers around Israeli suffering,” the op ed read. “I refuse to condemn resistance or anyone before I condemn the oppressor.”
And while the editorial laid out a litany of alleged Israeli crimes — Hamas’ precipitating violence went unmentioned.
The article “Black and White: The Withheld History of Palestine and Israel” never made it onto the Spectator website, but appeared in the print edition of the monthly paper on Feb. 16.
School insiders said the article could not have been published without the green light from Editor’s-in-Chiefs Suyeon Ryu and Khush Wadhwa. Stuyvesant English teacher Kerry Garfinkel, who serves as the paper’s faculty advisor, would also have been involved. The four did not return messages, nor did Principal Seung Yu.
Furious parents ripped the message — and the messenger.
“The byline should read coward instead of anonymous. If you are going to repeat revolting Hamas propaganda and transcribe your ignorance and Jew hatred, put your name to it,” said Maud Maron, a Stuyvesant parent, who also serves on the School Leadership Team.
“Principal Yu should address the school and explain to Jewish students why this factually inaccurate bile was published on the school paper anonymously.”
A second concerned mom said that “a lot of parents are really alarmed” and that “lot of the Jewish students are quite concerned, because they want to know if it’s somebody they’re in class with.”
Students such as Nisan Safanov said the article “spewed lies” and “lacked balance.”
“It made me upset because it hits close to home. I have family in Israel right now and they’re at the wall praying every day and to call us the oppressors when Hamas attacked first… it hurts,” said Safanov, 15.
And critics blasted the DOE for “failing to intercede” and to allow an article that raised “Hamas talking points” into a school newspaper.
“This is yet another instance where NYC’s Department of Education and Chancellor Banks have failed to protect their Jewish students,” said Michelle Ahdoot, the director of programming and strategy at End Jew Hatred.
The 3,331-student Stuyvesant in Lower Manhattan is the city’s most sought-after public high school, requiring the highest scores on an admission test to get in.
DOE spokesman Nathaniel Styer rebuffed the torrent of criticism, saying the Spectator was independently run and “prohibits prior review of publication.”
“The piece ran under the ‘opinion’ section of the newspaper. We’ve recommended that the editorial board seek out a variety of opinions, and they will be taking that under advisement,” he said.
