A 12-year-old Jewish boy in New Haven, Connecticut, was attacked and brutally beaten by classmates, one of whom shouted, “Kill the Jew!” as he assaulted the young boy.
Orit Avizov says that her son was “physically attacked and verbally threatened” by one student who was yelling “kill the Jew” during the horrific attack:
“I blame the administration. He was humiliated, he was beat up in school.”
In response to Avizov’s comments, Branford Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez said in a statement:
“Branford Public Schools is committed to ensuring each school maintains a safe environment for all students. The district strongly condemns inappropriate behavior toward any student, including bullying, violence and racial attacks. All claims of misconduct or prohibited behavior are investigated and addressed in a timely, thorough and judicious manner by the administration.”
While other parents have complained of bullying at the school, Avizov says it’s clear her son was specifically targeted for his Jewish heritage:
“This child started yelling kill the Jew, kill the Jew, kill the Jew while he’s attacking my son.”
The young boy who was attacked said the bully:
“Slammed his head in the locker, he got him knocked down to the ground, he started kicking him and punching him in his stomach and his.”
According to reports on the website The Branford Seven, which is a reference to the town’s seven districts, the child responsible for the bullying is from New Haven and is attending Branford schools under the state’s Open Choice program which allows students from inner cities to attend suburban schools and students from the suburbs to attend city schools. But, according to that same report, there were other students who joined in the abuse of Avizov’s son.
For more on this story, watch this news report from WTNH:
Featured Image Via CBS News Screengrab
