A New Jersey school is searching for answers after a childhood photograph of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler appeared in its yearbook.
The black-and-white 1889 image of Hitler as a baby was discovered published alongside baby photos of students graduating from East Brook Middle School in Paramus.
The yearbooks were recalled and corrected copies, with the Hitler photo removed, will be distributed to students.
In a letter to parents, East Brook Middle School Principal Ryan Aupperlee said an image of Hitler “has no place in a yearbook created for our students. It does not reflect who we are or what East Brook stands for, and we condemn its inclusion without reservation.”
“The presence of this image is unacceptable,” Aupperlee wrote. “Even if the image was not immediately recognizable to those paging through the book, its inclusion in an official school publication is a severe breach of our values.”
“I am aware of the unfortunate incident, involving the year book, at East Brook Middle School yesterday and have been in communication with both the Superintendent of Schools and Chief of Police. Our borough’s strength has always been because we are a town welcoming to all faiths and home to numerous houses of worship. Any examples, like yesterday’s, does not reflect Paramus.”