A number of Duxbury residents told their Board of Selectmen at a meeting Monday night that anti-Semitism has been an ongoing problem in their community. The comments came as an independent investigation continues into the use of anti-Semitic language on the field by the high school football team.
Long-time Duxbury High School coach Dave Maimaron, who apologized last week for what he called “insensitive, crass and inappropriate language” by his team, was fired on March 24.
“I think it's well known that this was not an isolated incident,” said Karen Wong, who described herself as a Jewish woman married to an Asian-American. Wong is a member of Duxbury For All, a local group focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
“It's my understanding this has been going on for years, maybe almost 10 years,” Wong said. “And in the last week, a week plus, I have fielded an unbelievable number of phone calls, emails, text messages from people in the Jewish community who are hurting.”
Duxbury For All previously sent a letter to the Board of Selectmen saying that the football team used terms including "Auschwitz," "gas chamber," "Hitler" and "Holocaust" to call plays at a game on March 12.
On Monday, football players and their families were informed that three games scheduled for later this week have been postponed to allow the team to attend the first of two mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion workshops.
That letter to players, from Duxbury High School Principal Jim Donovan and Athletic Director Thom Holdgate, said the program “will focus on the Holocaust, not just as a historical event but as a lived experience that continues to impact families every day.”
During Monday's Select Board meeting, school committee chair Kellie Bresnehan said she and her fellow committee members “have had the entire range of emotions, as you can imagine — from horror, shock, disappointment, disgust, sadness.”
“We obviously are committed to going forward and working with the community,” Bresnehan told the select board. “And we recognize that a lot of education can come through the schools, but it is a community effort." She added that they can't control what happens at home: "We don't know what's going on there and what's talked about and what's discussed.”
Wong encouraged community members to attend an online event Thursday sponsored by Congregation Shirat and supported by Duxbury for All and Duxbury No Place for Hate. It’s listed as being for “Jewish neighbors and all those who are hurting from the recent revelations about the anti-Semitic and racist terms used by the Duxbury High School football team, to come together in a safe space to share their deep grief.”
This story has been updated to clarify that Congregation Shirat is sponsoring the online event Thursday.
