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Israeli teens dressed as KKK and in ‘black face’ for mock lynching at school Purim party

Purim carnival where Israeli teens dressed as members of the KKK and in black face for a mock lynching. (Photo: Mizbala)
Purim carnival where Israeli teens dressed as members of the KKK and in black face for a mock lynching. (Photo: Mizbala)

A group of Israeli high school boys dressed as members of the Ku Klux Klan and others in black face make up to stage a mock lynching for a class party for the Jewish holiday of Purim. Photographs of over a dozen teens from Harel High School in Mevasseret Zion, a cushy suburb west of Jerusalem, first surfaced a few days after the holiday, which functionally serves as Israel’s Halloween. In the photos some of the students are dressed in white robes and armed with a large wooden cross, while three others are in black face make up and afro-style wigs and kneeling as if their arms are shackled. The Israeli media outlet Mizbala screen grabbed the images from Facebook, which was then circulated on social media, creating a firestorm of backlash.

A day later Israel’s Channel 2 news followed up, and the school’s principal said she found nothing inappropriate about the youths’ dressing as white supremacists on the verge of a racially motivated vigilante murder. From the Times of Israel:

‘The costume created an interesting and important discussion,’ Rina Even-Tov said, according to Channel 2 News.

‘This act essentially created a platform for discussion, it is no different from a Nazi costume’ she concluded.

Purim carnival, students in KKK robes and black face in the background. (Photo: Harel High School/Flickr)
Purim carnival, students in KKK robes and black face in the background. (Photo: Harel High School/Flickr)
Purim carnival. KKK and black face costumed students in the left corner of the image. (Photo: Harel High School/Flickr)
Purim carnival. KKK and black face costumed students in the left corner of the image. (Photo: Harel High School/Flickr)

Indeed it seems permissiveness towards the students’ costumes was pervasive at Harel High. On the school’s Flickr page I found more images of the youngsters in their KKK gear, except in these they are posed with the students in black face using faux handcuffs, dragging them from the tail end of a wooden platform that the “klansmen” are carrying overhead. The photograph cuts out what’s above the platform, but from the shoes, pants and top—which are in frame—it looks like they are parading a student costumed as a caged African American.

Students dressed as KKK members at the center of the Harel High Purim party. (Photo: Harel High School/Flickr)
Students dressed as KKK members at the center of the Harel High Purim party. (Photo: Harel High School/Flickr)

In another photograph the robed boys are at the center of scores of teenagers in an outdoor class party, then later they were photographed indoors. It seems they wore the offending outfits throughout the day. Other images in the photo set show a different group of students dressed as settlers wearing orange shirts with the Hebrew slogan “Jews do not expel Jews!”

"Jews do not expel Jews!" (Photo: Harel High School/Flickr)
“Jews do not expel Jews!” (Photo: Harel High School/Flickr)

 

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It is possible to see how in a history lesson such a re-enactment could be used – but with great care.

This was not a pedagogic exercise it was a Purim prank.

I despair of the teacher ‘‘This act essentially created a platform for discussion, it is no different from a Nazi costume’ she concluded.”

Try to visualize the effect of Palestinian students dressing up as concentration camp guards humiliating Jewish inmates. I doubt anyone in Israel would try to describe that as a prompt for generating an interesting discussion.

omg. they are the present, and the future.

doomed.

“‘The costume created an interesting and important discussion,’ Rina Even-Tov said, according to Channel 2 News.”

I can imagine the “discussion” Look at those happy, smiling, self-satisfied teens and read the words of their “principal”.

yech.

Meanwhile, in the US, universities are attempting to silence BDS and SJP.

What a psychotic universe this Israel/US is.

“Jews do not expel Jews.” But they do expel others. Well expressed.

Look at the orange photo. In the UK version of the song, “With sun-shiny faces, we all know our places.” Our places are to expel, not to be expelled. How happy we are! Yea!

Distressing….shocking. Tells much about the education system and socialization. The celebration or “satire” of inhumane evil treatment of other human beings.

That the principal dismissed this as opening discussion says so much about her human disconnect and the education system she represents.

Imagine if a bunch of High School students in Wisconsin dressed up as Nazi guards and acted out the internment and abuse of European Jews and the principal said she found nothing wrong with it and it opened an interesting and important discussion.

This is all so horrible.

‘This act essentially created a platform for discussion, it is no different from a Nazi costume’ she concluded.” principal

Hellllooo. Zionists and Jews are the first to whip up a global frenzy if any non Jew mimics in any way “Nazi ” signs or uniforms or culture.

Bloody hypocrite and she is what informs Jewish Children.

No wonder Israel is f—-d.