Boston principal apologizes to Muslim, Arab students who felt 'unsafe' after Holocaust lesson

A principal in Boston has issued an apology to Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Lebanese students after a mandatory Holocaust lesson reportedly left them feeling "unsafe" and that their identities were excluded or erased. William Diamond Middle School Principal Johnny Cole stated in an email that he was "sorry" for the lesson's impact and acknowledged that "some of you left that session feeling less safe, not more."

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Some of you felt unseen. Some of you felt that your own history, identity, or community was left out or erased. Some of you left that session feeling less safe, not more.

Cole emphasized that all students deserve to feel that their identities matter, including Arab, Jewish, Lebanese, Muslim, and Palestinian students. He indicated that the school is working with teachers and families to create a more inclusive educational environment that incorporates "all of our histories."

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Every one of you deserves to walk into this school and feel that who you are matters - Arab students, Jewish students, Lebanese students, Muslim students, Palestinian students.

However, the apology has drawn sharp criticism from Jewish groups. Stop Antisemitism condemned the principal's actions, questioning the necessity of apologizing for teaching historical facts. The organization criticized Cole for validating outrage over Holocaust education rather than defending it. This incident follows a recent controversy where Principal Cole reportedly told a student not to wear a T-shirt with the slogan "Save the bees. Plant more trees. Clean the seas. Punch Nazis," citing student complaints that the shirt made them feel "threatened."

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Since when is teaching historical fact something that requires an apology? And why is a school principal validating outrage over Holocaust education instead of defending it?

The student who wrote the T-shirt message, Teaghan Murtagh, whose great-grandmother was a Holocaust survivor, expressed her dismay. She argued that the shirt was a form of self-expression and questioned how anyone, other than a Nazi or someone with a severe bee allergy, could feel threatened by its message. Murtagh suggested the principal's concern was not about the bees but about the anti-Nazi sentiment.

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Dr. Cole told me not to wear the shirt to school again because he ‘had received some student complaints’ from students who ‘felt threatened’.