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Vestal High School: Kick A Jew Day Similar To Kick A Ginger Day?

by NowPublic Staff | January 21, 2011 at 11:18 am

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"Kick A Jew Day" At Vestal High School Inspired By South Park - "Kick A Ginger Day" | 37 Students Face Suspension Parent Says

Thirty-seven students at Vestal High School, near Binghamton, New York face suspension after taking part in a "prank" called Kick A Jew Day. The incidents of Jewish students being kicked at Vestal High School reportedly occurred in December.

Pressconnects of Greater Binghamton quotes one local parent who says the students involved in Kick A Jew Day will face disciplinary action.

The parent, Gordon Gardner, said he got a telephone call this week from Mike Rotondi, assistant principal at Vestal High, who told him 37 students, including his 14-year-old son, could face suspensions because of the event.His son has admitted taking part and should be punished, said Gardner, a Press & Sun-Bulletin employee. But he believes the event took place because of immaturity, not intolerance or maliciousness. Specifically, Rotondi told him the students were copying a prank inspired by the animated television show "South Park."

A 2005 South Park episode featured "Kick A Ginger Day," a satirical look at the foolishness of prejudice where the South Park character, Cartman, (himself a redhead) ignites a campaign against redheads or "Gingers."

Subsequent to that episode a Kick A Ginger Day facebook page took, route and the some redheads started reporting of real Kick A Ginger Day events at some schools in the United States and Canada.

Now, it seems some students at Vestal High School have taken it a step further with Kick A Jew Day.

School officials saying they are investigating bullying incidents and were not ready to discuss the specific nature of the incidents at Vestal High School.

But local Jewish community leaders had this to say,

"We are aware of it (the incident) and are working with school officials to help resolve the issue," said Sima Auerbach, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Broome County. That may include an educational program at the school, she said.

In 2009 a similar incident also called Kick A Jew Day occurred at North Naples Middle School in Florida - 10 students were suspended in that incident.

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Kyle Miller (not verified)

at 09:49 on January 25th, 2011

South Park never had an episode called kick a ginger day....It was galled "GINGER KIDS" no kick a ginger day.... get your facts right and I went to Vestal and graduated in 2009. And there has been kick a ginger day at other schools just youtube it.