Chicago Rabbi Says School Bus Boarding Incident Was Not Anti-Semetic

The bus boarding incident that reportedly happened earlier this week in west Rodgers Park, where a group of men were reported to have allegedly yelled anti-Semetic slurs and gave a Nazi salute to the Jewish children appears to not have gone down that way.

The school’s CEO Rabbi Menachem Levine said Friday that the incident was the result of 'kids & immature adults' and did not involve Nazi-based rhetoric as previously posted.

Rabbi Levine, who asked that the particular school involved not be named because of potential security concerns, said a social media post and statement from the Simon Wiesenthal Center are responsible for narratives that circulated Thursday, stating that men boarded the bus and shouted slurs and threats at the children.

According to Rabbi Levine, as reported in the Chicago Tribune, 'the bus driver opened the door, “which they shouldn’t have done,” and primarily one bystander screamed and “cursed” at the kids, he said.' Mr. Levine stated that there is one parent who said her son thought the men made a Nazi salute as the bus was driving away.

“I have encountered real neo-Nazis or Hitler fans, and this had nothing to do with that,” he said. Levine said there is one parent who said her son thought the men made a Nazi salute as the bus was driving away. “Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t,” Levine said. “There’s no proof of that.”

According to the Tribune's story on the matter, this Friday the Simon Wiesenthal Center updated its statement, further explaining why they released the initial statement. According to the update, the center’s report was verified by two parents and police officials investigating the student allegations.

“We were told this was a hate crime,” the center stated in the update. “Later in the day, the school released a statement refuting what the children had reported. The school is now saying that this was not an antisemitic incident.”

Rabbi Levine has stated to the Tribune that he is the grandchild of four Holocaust survivors and has spoken about antisemitism in city halls and schools. “I would be the first one to call out antisemitism, it’s a serious thing,” he said. “This was much ado about nothing.”

Levine added that heightened concern for incidents of antisemitism across the country also played a factor in the circulation of “false information” Thursday.

“I think people are nervous,” Levine said. “People doing real antisemitic attacks, we should be vigilant in the press and people should be calling it out. This happens to not be that case.”

Source Article on Yahoo.com: Original Source Article