U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman issued statement condemning drinking game played by Princeton High School students
PRINCETON - Princeton police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding a photo of Princeton High School students playing a "Jews vs. Nazis" drinking game while a U.S. Congresswoman called for greater sensitivity to anti-Semitism Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) on Tuesday condemned the game, referred to as Holocaust Pong, or Alcoholocaust, played by a group of Princeton High School students and captured in a photo that surfaced last week on a social media site.
"It is unacceptable to make light of discrimination, violence, and genocide that devastated families and left scars that endure to this day," Coleman said. "In addition to concerns about the dangers of underage drinking and binge drinking, I am disappointed with the anti-Semitic overtones displayed by the young people who took part in this activity."
Princeton police on Tuesday said their investigation is continuing.
Princeton schools Superintendent Steve Cochrane previously condemned the act and the game, saying he was "deeply upset" with the "clearly anti-Semitic overtones" of the game.
Cochrane has said that the administration would meet with student leaders and faculty to come up with specific programs to help students better understand "alcohol use, social media and tolerance of different faiths and cultures."
Jews vs. Nazis' beer pong: It's what kids at this N.J. high school are playing
Jamaica Ponder, a 17-year-old junior at Princeton High School first wrote about the photo on her blog, and has said she recognized the basement where the photo was taken from a home just blocks away from her Princeton house.
Ponder did not name the students in the photo but identified them as classmates and "athletes and student leaders'' in the school.
Ponder, contacted school officials Wednesday but not the police. Since then, she has met with several school administrators about the photo, including the school Principal, Gary Snyder.
"These students made poor choices, however I am grateful for the teaching moment that now exists,'' Coleman said. "While some may explain their actions as a harmless game or prank, activities like these allow hate to fester. Whether that hate is based on gender, race, sexual orientation or identity, religion or ethnicity, we must shine a light wherever we see it - like Jamaica Ponder bravely did when she exposed her peers' behavior. With the help of their parents and community members I am confident these students will learn from their mistakes, and I am happy to lend my support in whatever way necessary to support and guide our children."
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.