Latimer invites athletes and coaches to roundtable to combat hate
Players on the high school girls' basketball team for Leffell accused players on the Roosevelt team of using antisemitism slurs including yelling "Free Palestine" during a game last Thursday.
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Westchester County is taking action to combat hate in the wake of an antisemitic incident between the Roosevelt High School Early College Studies in Yonkers and The Leffell School, a private Jewish school, in Hartsdale.
A preliminary probe by the Yonkers City School district found that a student from the Roosevelt High School girls' basketball team yelled "Free Palestine" at a player at the private Jewish institution, The Leffell School during a game last Thursday.
In response, Latimer has invited Section 1 leaders, coaches and players to participate in an education round table.
The initiative, organized in collaboration with the Westchester County Human Rights Commission and County Youth Bureau, aims to facilitate open dialogue, promote understanding, and provide education on how to engage with fellow players with respect and dignity.
"We're all expected to show proper maturity and respect to each other. We will not tolerate antisemitism in this county nor any of the other "-isms" that go along with it. This incident has occurred so, let's make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.
The county is also organizing a training session for the County Parks Department working at the Westchester County Center during the Section 1 Tournament at the end of next month.
Latimer said the county condemns all acts of hate and antisemitism.
