‘Shocked and appalled’: Jewish groups slam Christian Brothers’ school over anti-Semite students
An under siege all boys school in Melbourne is facing more backlash over a student’s slur given to a teacher with Jewish heritage.
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Exclusive: A student at an under siege Christian Brothers school wrote “f*** the Jews” in school work submitted to a teacher with Jewish heritage.
St Bernard’s College in Melbourne was also forced to destroy art smocks emblazoned with swastikas that students had been wearing around campus, with a separate teacher making an official complaint.
Jewish groups are now demanding the school undergo extra training on how to stamp out anti-Semitism.
The new claims about the all boys’ school in the city’s northwest follows a dossier of bad behaviour exposed in a union survey of teachers conducted in September, which was revealed in the Sunday Herald Sun.
Teachers claimed there was a toxic culture with female staff subjected to sexual harassment, that a student saluted Hitler with the words “Sieg Heil” in class and a swastika was etched on a whiteboard.
St Bernard’s College principal Dr Michael Davies said the school acted “immediately” to “condemn unacceptable actions.”
But sources claim that the school had issues with anti-Semitism last year that were not adequately addressed.
“As a Jewish teacher, I was appalled to see widespread swastika graffiti around the school mostly on classroom and exam desks: these were sometimes cleaned and removed,” one teacher said.
“But nothing was addressed in terms of cultural or behavioural issues surrounding this to assist in making it stop.
“Teachers were told to call maintenance or use their own cleaning supplies to remove the graffiti. Some staff did not even bother to report this and these symbols had been there for years.”
St Bernard’s College is part of the Edmund Rice Education Australia network of 55 Catholic schools across the country.
They were set up by the Christian Brothers order but control of the schools was handed to EREA when the numbers of brothers dwindled.
The student who wrote “f*** the Jews” apologised and was suspended in 2021.
Jewish Community Council of Victoria President Daniel Aghion said he was “shocked and appalled”.
“There is no excuse for anti-Semitism, or any kind of hate speech, in our society,” Mr Aghion said.
“When allegations like this are raised, we cannot stand idly by,” he said.
“This behaviour needs to be called out as anti-Semitic and all students educated on the harms and impacts that anti-Semitism has on the Jewish community.
“There are many programs available to Victorian schools that can educate about anti-Semitism. The Jewish Community Council of Victoria stands ready to provide referrals to schools wishing to help their staff and students understand the nature and impact of anti-Semitism and the importance of standing up against all types of racism.”
Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dr Dvir Abramovich said the allegations at St Bernard’s were “horrific”.
“This is a runaway problem that St Bernard’s College cannot sweep under the rug or hide away from.” Dr Abramovich said.
“Who would have thought that in 2022, in a Catholic school, the modern face of Hitler will appear through students doing the salute and wearing smocks reminiscent of Nazi Germany and scrawling the swastika — the ultimate symbol of evil.”
The Herald Sun asked Mr Davies directly about the anti-Semitism claims on Friday.
He did not add to the statement he made, which said: “The vast majority of St Bernard’s College’s 1600 students live our values to their fullest, but where the College identifies unacceptable actions we take them extremely seriously.
“In the case of these examples of bad behaviour we acted immediately to condemn the unacceptable actions and punish the students, including with suspensions, with the support of parents to hold these students to account.
“We are entirely committed to the education of our young men into respectful and responsible members of the broader community, and that includes calling out unacceptable behaviour when it occurs.’’
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