(JTA) — A high school in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stopped distributing yearbooks after finding that they contained an anti-Semitic quote by one of the seniors.
“There will always be one true Final Solution,” read the quote in the New Berlin West High School yearbook, WTMJ Milwaukee reported.
In an email sent to school parents to inform them of the offensive quote, principal Michael Fesenmaier called it “inappropriate and offensive.”
“The quote, unfortunately, went undetected during the yearbook vetting process and was published in the yearbook,” the emails said. “We are embarrassed by this oversight, and we apologize that this offensive quote was not detected sooner.”
Jostens, the yearbook publisher, will supply the school with stickers to cover up the quote, which refers to the “Final Solution,” the Nazi plan to exterminate European Jews at the time of World War II.
The school will place the stickers in the yearbooks that have yet to be distributed. The owners of the yearbooks that were distributed on Thursday and Friday will be able to pick up stickers from the school’s office.
Elana Kahn, director of Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, told WTMJ that the quote “is not innocuous and it is not funny.”
“It’s recorded in history as this being his most important quote,” she said. “I think it’s very disturbing and upsetting.”
Kahn said she has worked with the school district in the past after other anti-Semitic incidents, including bringing in someone to speak about the Holocaust.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
