Members of The Leffell School girls basketball team & coach John Tessitore
On Jan. 4, members of The Leffell School’s Woman’s Basketball Team, were the subject of anti-Semitic remarks during a game against Roosevelt High School in Yonkers. The slurs came from members of the Roosevelt HS girls basketball team, and were related to the Israeli war against Hamas as a result of the terror attack on October 7. The game was cancelled during the 3rd Quarter, and security walked off members of The Leffell School.
One of the players for The Leffell School, a private, Jewish school in Westchester, wrote a letter for their school newspaper detailing what happened. “Throughout the first half of our game against Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, there was a somewhat hostile environment, with substantially more jabs and comments thrown at the players on our team than what I have experienced in the past. Despite this, our team chose to let their aggressiveness fuel us going into the second half of the game, as we continued to play passionately. “However, all of that changed in the third quarter. Members of our team started to get injured from the other team’s physical style of play. At the end of the quarter, players on the opposing team started shouting “Free Palestine” and other antisemitic slurs and curses at us.
“Attacking a team because of their school’s religious association is never acceptable, but especially due to the current war in Israel and the world’s rise in antisemitism, this felt extremely personal to me and many members of my team. I have played a sport every athletic season throughout my high school career, and I have never experienced this kind of hatred directed at one of my teams before.
“I was so impressed with my teammates for coming together and deciding that we did not want to continue this game after the third quarter, as it no longer felt respectful as the other team did not show sportsmanlike conduct. Instead of responding to hatred with more of the same, we chose to separate ourselves from the situation and leave with dignity and pride in who we are and what we believe in,” wrote Robin Bosworth, Class of 24′
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and Yonkers Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Luis Rodriguez issued the following statement on Jan. 7. “The Yonkers Public Schools along with the City of Yonkers sincerely apologize to the students and community of The Leffell School for the painful and offensive comments made to their women’s basketball team during a recent game with Roosevelt High School- Early College Studies. Collectively, we do not and will not tolerate hate speech of any kind from our students and community. The antisemitic rhetoric reportedly made against the student athletes of The Leffell School are abhorrent, inappropriate and not in line with the values we set forth for our young people.
“As soon as the School Administration learned of the incident, an investigation was conducted involving game officials, coaches and students, including school officials from The Leffell School. After a thorough review of videos taken at the game and interviews with those who witnessed the incident, the Yonkers Public Schools dismissed the coach and one player from the Roosevelt basketball team. The investigation is ongoing. Should the District determine other students were involved in the incident, further action would be taken by the school District where appropriate.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer has called for an Education Round Table. “Hate speech has no place in Westchester County and will not be tolerated. High school sports are meant for enjoyment, camaraderie and good sportsmanship. The recent incident goes against the spirit of fair play and unity that these games are intended to foster. I am now calling on all members of the community to come together and condemn such behavior, emphasizing that unity is paramount, especially in challenging times.”
Congressman Jamaal Bowman said, “There is no place for antisemitism on the court, in our schools, or any other place in our society. The behavior and harmful rhetoric displayed during Thursday’s game is unacceptable, and it’s our job as parents and educators to teach against hate in all forms so our children can learn and do better… we must remember that Jewish Americans are not responsible for the actions of the Israeli government, just as Arab Americans are not responsible for the actions of Hamas.
State Senator Shelley Mayer said, “Antisemitism in Yonkers cannot be ignored- and it won’t be. Thank you Mayor Mike Spano for responding and committing to following up with action. As a proud Yonkers resident and a Jewish elected official, I’m determined to take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “I am deeply saddened and disappointed to learn of the antisemitic comments at a high school basketball game in my district. Religious intolerance has no place in our society, and especially in our schools. I’ve dedicated my life to making sure every child has a right to attend school in a space which is safe from violence and hatred, and my heart goes out to the students and families of the Leffell School in the aftermath of this disturbing and upsetting incident. I join my fellow elected officials in calling on the New York State Board of Regents and the City of Yonkers to conduct a full investigation into the allegations.”
City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy said, “It saddens me to learn of the reported Anti-Semitic comments directed towards a local basketball team. A city as diverse as Yonkers will not tolerate any form of hate or discrimination. It is crucial to take the necessary disciplinary action against both students and any staff involved in this incident. We must stand together as a community to condemn such behavior.”
Councilman Mike Breen said, “I am greatly disappointed in the anti-Semitic rhetoric that was reported to have been used at a Yonkers basketball game on Thursday. Yonkers is a city that celebrates its diverse cultures, and this type of behavior will not be tolerated. I expect that anyone who participated in this will no longer have the privilege of representing our city and their school as a student-athlete going forward.”
Councilwoman Corazon Pineda-Isaac said, “I was saddened to learn of the antisemitic comments made during a recent basketball game at Roosevelt High School towards student-athletes at The Leffell School. The City of Yonkers takes pride in our diversity, so to hear that such comments were made by our very own students is unacceptable. I am glad that Yonkers Public Schools has taken action to dismiss the coach and one of the Roosevelt high school student-athletes involved in this incident and will continue its investigation to determine if any other disciplinary measures are necessary.”
Councilman John Rubbo said, “I am appalled by the alleged anti-Semitic comments made by students at the Roosevelt High School basketball game. Any form of hate speech or discrimination is unequivocally unacceptable and must be condemned outright. I commend Mayor Spano for his swift action in convening a meeting of all involved parties to confront racism in all its forms within our city and schools. It’s essential that we address these issues head-on and foster an environment of understanding and respect.”
The coach of the Roosevelt Girls basketball team, Brian Williams, said he did not hear any comments during the game and questioned his termination. One of the girls on the RHS team, whose name has not been released, remains suspended from the basketball team.
While there is a video of the game, there is no audio, making it difficult or impossible to determine what was said, The Yonkers NAACP has said it will conduct an investigation. The Yonkers Public Schools has received thousands of emails about this incident, many with hateful intent. We believe it is time to move on.
