Each student was asked to chose a historical figure to present to the rest of the class.As part of the assignment , the student involved dressed up as the mass-murdering Nazi tyrant and wrote an essay in first person in a somewhat celebratory tone. This essay was then displayed in the school’s hallway alongside other students’ work.
The essay included sentences such as: “my belief in antisemitism drove me to kill more than 6 million Jews” and "I was pretty great, wasn't I?"
The controversial incident was brought to the attention of the board of education by concerned parents who saw the display of all the different historical figures without any context of the nature of the assignment.
The incident was then investigated by the board of education. At the end of which, the board announced that it is "unfair to judge any student or teacher in this matter" because the lesson was within the context of social justice.
The school board further added that "Tenafly Public Schools condemn antisemitism, racism, and bias of any kind,” as published in northjersey.com
According to ABC7NY, It was later clarified that the assignment, which was given by a Jewish teacher, was on historical figures who personify good and evil. The students were asked to both speak as their chosen historical figure and to rationalize their actions as the historical figures might have done.