FREEHOLD - A group of high school students here apparently thought it would be fun to portray Holocaust children for Halloween.

Social media screenshots talk of being "little kids from the Holocaust" and doing so, evidently, by wearing no shoes.

Other posts are cruder. Here is one:

"I filled my vape w the gas from the Holocaust ..."

The ADL (Anti-Defamation League) reported earlier this year that there were 719 anti-Semitic incidents in New Jersey in 2024. That was down from 830 in 2023, but still pretty high.
Some observers see social media as a sounding board for all types of hate and that may be the case here.

The Freehold Regional High School District ranges over western Monmouth County and includes six high schools and about 10,000 students.

Here is a message from Superintendent Dr. Nicole Hazel about the incident, which reverberated across the district over the weekend.

Freehold Regional High School District and all its high schools unequivocally and in the strongest possible sense condemn antisemitism and all forms of hate. We are aware of antisemitic posts that were made outside of school by some of our students in our school district. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and taking immediate, comprehensive, and decisive action.  This incident is being investigated thoroughly and is being addressed through our district code of conduct and policies, New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act and HIB requirements, and formal coordination with law enforcement as per our Memorandum of Agreement. We are prohibited from disclosing specific information about individual students due to federal and state student confidentiality requirements.

We have and continue to implement anti-bias education through partnerships with local Jewish community organizations. The District is committed to comprehensive, ongoing anti-hate and Holocaust education that equips students with the knowledge and tools to recognize, reject, and actively oppose antisemitism.
Comprehensive counseling and support services are available to students. We are committed to ensuring that all students feel safe, supported, and welcomed in our schools.
Antisemitism and hate of any kind have no place in our schools.  Our high schools remain dedicated to building an inclusive community that actively rejects antisemitism and all forms of hatred.  Hate will not be tolerated and has no place in any of our buildings.