Jewish Teacher Alleges Months of Anti-Semitism & Calls of ‘Heil Hitler’ at Bronx School

By: Hellen Zaboulani

A Jewish teacher at a Bronx public school has filed a lawsuit alleging she was the target of anti-Semitic harassment by her colleagues.

As reported by the NY Post, on Friday court papers were filed against the city Department of Education by Emilie Baser, an English teacher at Harry S. Truman High School. The teacher alleges that she was discriminated against and retaliated against by other teachers and staffers at the school for months, since February. She claims in the lawsuit that her desk was littered with “Free Palestine” stickers, and that employees allegedly shouted “Heil Hitler” at her.

She complains that though she made her concerns known, the Co-Op City school did not properly investigate or help address her worries, and brushed off the “Heil Hitler” incident, with an excuse that the staffers had been “engaged in an impromptu anger management training session,” as per the Manhattan Supreme Court filing.

Baser says that she went to the administrative office on Feb. 6 to pick up a copy of the incident report regarding the disturbing stickers she found littered on her desk the day before, as well as the previous Friday, because she is Jewish. “When she walked in (the office), Eiron Diaz, a member of the staff, school aides, and secretaries in the guidance department, shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ at [her] and other staff members in attendance laughed,” Baser alleged in the lawsuit. “Mr. Diaz then continued to berate [Baser] for complaining about anti-Semitism.” Baser says she was scared and felt unsafe and this has led her to suffer from acute stress disorder and clinical depression, since the school failed to address her concerns.

Per the Post, the teacher claims she was further retaliated against when the school refused her requests to work remotely, to take a sabbatical or to take a line of duty injury leave, as a result of the discrimination. Baser’s legal action seeks unspecified damages and calls into question the competence of the Department of Education’s policies and responses to discrimination and harassment. It raises concerns about the safety and inclusivity of educational settings for educators of all backgrounds. The DOE and Diaz did not reply to the Post’s request for comment. The teacher also did not provide comments.

This is far from the first incident in which a Jewish teacher has been made to feel unsafe in a city public school. Anti-Semitism has been on the rise since Oct. 7, when Hamas brutally attacked Israel killing over 1200 men woman and children in one day and taking civilian hostages. In a similar lawsuit filed in March, Brooklyn high school teacher Danielle Kaminsky had alleged that the Sheepshead Bay school become a haven for Hitler-loving hooligans who terrorize Jewish teachers and bully classmates.

The teacher had alleged that a group of 40 to 50 teens had marched waving a Palestinian flag and chanting “Death to Israel!” and “Kill the Jews!”. The teacher also alleged that her classroom door was filled with “Free Palestine” notes, had swastikas drawn on walls, was targeted with multiple Hitler and Nazi gestures, and had a student call her “a dirty Jew” and said he wished Hitler could have “hit more Jews,” including her. “I live in fear of going to work every day,” the global history teacher had previously told the Post.