The coach and one of the students involved in last Thursday's antisemitic incident at a high school basketball game in New York were dismissed from the team, the Yonkers School District announced in a statement on Monday.
Players from the Leffell School, a private Jewish Day School based in Hartsdale, New York, were reportedly called antisemitic slurs and subjected to a "physical style of play," The Post reported.
"The Yonkers Public Schools along with the City of Yonkers sincerely apologize to the students and community of The Leffell School for the painful and offensive comments made to their women’s basketball team during a recent game with Roosevelt High School- Early College Studies," according to the statement.
"Collectively, we do not and will not tolerate hate speech of any kind from our students and community. The antisemitic rhetoric reportedly made against the student athletes of The Leffell School are abhorrent, inappropriate and not in line with the values we set forth for our young people," the statement said.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing
The school district said it conducted an investigation involving game officials, coaches, students, and school officials from The Leffell School. The district said it also reviewed videos taken at the game and interviewed witnesses.
The district said the investigation is ongoing.
"Along with Mayor Spano’s convening of religious, educational and civic leaders, Yonkers Public Schools also will administer further counseling and guided training sessions amongst the school community so to prevent this from happening again," the statement said.
In posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said, "Antisemitism at any level is unacceptable, as is racism of any sort. It's even more disturbing when it occurs among our young people."
On Sunday, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner released a letter calling on the New York State Board of Regents to investigate the incident and assess if it was handled appropriately, if student discipline imposed was strong enough, and what actions districts could take to reduce future hateful incidents.
"No one should be subject to abuse and hate on the grounds of any school district in New York State because of their religion," the letter said. "As history has taught us, silence from good people, particularly silence from leaders, can lead to horrendous consequences."
Greenburgh encompases the town of Hartsdale.
According to a statement on Monday, Westchester County Executive George Latimer invited leaders, coaches and players in the athletic division to participate in an Education Round Table in collaboration with the Westchester County Human Rights Commission and the Westchester County Youth Bureau.
The statement also said the County will organize training for the Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation staff working at high school sports tournaments.
“We believe in the power of sports to not only entertain but also to educate and inspire. By creating a dialogue, we hope to establish a platform for sharing knowledge and promoting the development of athletes both on and off the court," Latimer said in the statement.
The Westchester County Board of Legislators also issued a statement on Monday in which its members said they are "deeply disturbed by the recent reports of antisemitic behavior directed at the Leffell School's girls basketball team."
"Antisemitism and bigotry in all its forms are never acceptable. We applaud the actions taken to date by both schools, and we support County Executive Latimer’s call for an investigation by the County’s Human Rights Commission," the board's statement said. "The Board reiterates its commitment to Westchester County’s diversity and to our youth; we will not tolerate hate in any form."
According to the Leffell School's Instagram, the girl's basketball game scheduled for Monday was postponed; however, the boy's basketball game was scheduled to take place.
The Leffell School would not comment on the future of the girls' interscholastic events or any safety measures at sporting events.
In a statement, the head of the Leffell School Michael Kay said he spoke with Roosevelt High School principal about a possible in-person encounter among the players involved in the incident, calling such interactions valuable.