Outrage After Hitler Called 'Good Leader' At Madison HS Workshop

MADISON, NJ - George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Derek Jeter and Martin Luther King Jr. were included in a list of notable leaders alongside Adolph Hitler in a presentation given to Madison High School students on Saturday.

According to Madison School officials, all Madison High School spring athletes were required to attend an assembly designed to set forth the MHS Athletics Department expectations and to promote positive leadership values and a culture of sportsmanship. Included in this program was an outside speaker invited to present to students on the subject.

During the presentation, the speaker showed a photo of Adolf Hitler side-by-side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"During his commentary, the speaker contrasted Dr. King and Hitler, referring to the latter as a 'good leader' with 'bad moral character and intentions,' Madison School officials said in a letter. "Following the presentation, some students and parents voiced serious concerns that the speaker referred to Hitler as a 'good leader' in any regard. The Madison School District shares these concerns."

Indeed, residents took to social media to express their concerns, including Paul and Debra Coen, who penned a missive to school officials immediately and called the situation "completely unacceptable."

"King and Hitler were on the screen at the same time. This would be appalling at any time, but to do this two days after the murder of 49 Muslims by a white supremacist defies explanation," the Coens wrote. "A presentation about leadership that isn't focused on character is problematic enough, but having a speaker who is normalizing authoritarianism while speaking about leadership in the abstract completely undermines the district's role in promulgating the ideals of civil society and democracy to our youth."

Resident Stuart Lederman said he is the son of Holocaust survivors and while he respects free speech, he cannot ignore that anti-Semitic speech and acts are on the rise in New Jersey and around the world.

"That the athletic department bought in a speaker to talk to the spring athletes who promoted the leadership qualities of the mastermind behind the final solution is, at best, troubling," he said. "Remember, in addition to the six million Jews who were murdered, six million non-Jews perished at his hand. I am saddened. We can do better, Madison."

The Coens asked if the school administrators had reviewed the presentation before it was given, and in the letter signed by Superintendent Mark Schwarz, Assistant Superintendent Dan Ross, Assistant Superintendent Frank Santora and High School Principal Greg Robertson they admitted it was not. They also committed to correcting that oversight.

"In an effort to turn this unfortunate circumstance into an opportunity to Improve, Madison Public Schools will now require that any presentation given to students by an outside speaker or vendor be reviewed by a school administrator in advance," they said. "We will also be seeking opportunities to partner with organizations that specialize in cultural sensitivity to maximize our efforts in creating an inclusive and emotionally-safe learning environment. We welcome any community members with knowledge of such resources to share them with us."

Officials said that clear, respectful academic analysis of genocide, bigotry and the methods of dictators is a critical focus of the District curriculum and is required by the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. But officials also noted that there is nuanced context of past horrors that need to be explored in order to recognize and protect against future atrocities. And that those lessons should take place in the classroom environment with compassion for victims, under the supervision of qualified teaching professionals.

"It is the position of the Madison Public School District that the inclusion of Adolf Hitler had no place in the context of an assembly intended to promote unity and character. It was unnecessarily provocative and insensitive for the speaker to include the image of a criminal whose legacy includes the systematic torture and slaughter of millions of Jews, the disabled, and others in Eastern Europe," officials said. "If the speaker intended to highlight an example of an effective leader with misguided intentions, a less emotionally charged example would have been more effective and appropriate."

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