Former Clevelander’s Facebook post details hate message

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

The assistant principal of a Colorado charter school who grew up in Cleveland Heights has refused to comment about an anti-Semitic threat, which targets him as the victim and was left in a bathroom where he works.

Howard Wolsky posted a photograph of the image on his Facebook page on Nov. 4.

He accompanied the post with text that can be seen by any Facebook member.

“I have really hesitated to post this picture,” Wolsky wrote “It was scrawled on a bathroom stall in my school this week. I feared that it would cast a negative light on my school, when in reality it’s one idiot. I’m pretty sure I know who did it, not positive, and this person was not a student. I don’t post it for anyone’s pity!

“I didn’t post it for shock,” he continued. “The reason I chose to post this now is to show many of my gentile friends that antisemitism exists in America. It exists in Europe. It exists in the Middle East. Let’s face it, it exists everywhere. Are we Jews unique...no. Hate is hate and let’s all stop looking the other way. If I allow this to live in the shadows then I’m part of the problem. Change starts when we hear our friends make snarky comments and we have the courage to speak up and tell them it’s not OK.”

Wolsky was a history teacher at Collegiate Academy of Colorado in the Denver suburb of Littleton from 2014 and is now assistant principal.

He graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1980, according to his LinkedIn profile, and did his student teaching at West Geauga High School. He moved to Colorado after attaining his master’s degree. Wolsky is listed as the treasurer of JTown, an organization that creates connections and Jewish community in Colorado.

He has family in Greater Cleveland.