Jewish school website hacked

Hamilton police are investigating a possible hate crime after an offensive cartoon was posted on the website of the Kehila Jewish Community day school. The cartoon as well as offensive comments, are believed to have been added to the site by a hacker, on September 11th. As Kelda Yuen reports the principal, parents, and others in the local Jewish community are appalled someone would attack a school.

Principal Peter Greenberg looked on Friday afternoon as kids went about their day at the Kehila Jewish Community day school, not knowing their school’s website remains shut down after being defaced by a cartoon:

“I was truly aghast. It depicted a woman with a shawl over her head holding a baby in a coffin and on the side of the coffin…. on the side of the coffin, there was something about Israel’s shells, and a replica of the flag of Israel. The message was pretty clear.”

Rabbi Jordan Cohen of Temple Anshe Shalom: “There’s no influence from this school on anything Israel does, and yet this is how they choose to make their statement. It just seems unfathomable.”

Though the cartoon and comments were anti-Israel, those I spoke to say it crosses the line into anti-semitism.

Barb Bajij of the Hamilton Jewish Federation: “We seem to be seeing a trend in anti-semitism being masked as anti-Israel policy.”

The timing was also suspicious.

Principal Greenberg: “On the website, in the parts that were inserted, there was reference to September 11th.”

Friday is Yom Kippur. It’s known as the day of atonement and is considered the holiest day of the year for those of the Jewish faith. The Rabbi here at the temple tells me that he thinks the fact the website was hacked just days before Yom Kippur is likely not a coincidence either.

Rabbi Cohen: “Of course you don’t know where the perpetrators are from, they can be from anywhere but it couldn’t be a coincidence, the timing or the target.”

But even though the message hurts, Principal Greenberg says parents have no reason to worry for their kids safety: “I think it was a message that was given. It was an insidious message, but I don’t see it as a threat to our students.”

Babij: “Hopefully it’s an isolated incident, but we need to be ever vigilant.”

The website remains down, while the school works on rebuilding it. The Hamilton police told me they are aware of the incident, and are in the preliminary stage of their investigation. As for parents, the Principal told me he hasn’t heard any concerns from them. It’s the role of the Hamilton Jewish Federation to alert the Jewish community if they feel there is a continued threat. In this case, they say they believe there’s no threat. However, as you heard the President say, they still feel the need to be vigilant.