“School Ties” holds up today as one of the most uncompromising and disturbing looks at antisemitism in seemingly accepting environments. After all, the promises of friendship and brotherhood that are promised among the students of St. Matthews almost instantly break down once they reveal their true white supremacist nature. This is a struggle for many minorities who don’t fit the white, Christian societal standard, and it’s one that shouldn’t be a struggle for anyone, particularly Jewish people.
“I sat on the board of a number of schools, and there was a quiet problem with antisemitism,” producer Stanley Jaffe told Entertainment Weekly. “David Greene doesn’t tell people he’s Jewish, nor should he have had to. That’s why I wanted to do ‘School Ties.'”
Unfortunately, that same quiet hatred is still prevalent in 2023, perhaps even more so. Public figures such as Kanye West and Kyrie Irving have platformed antisemitic rhetoric to their legions of fans. Twitter and its current owner Elon Musk have been sued in Germany for their inaction to review massive amounts of hate speech targeted at Jewish people. Admitted nazis have passed around propaganda proudly declaring their hatred for another solely based on their religious beliefs, and if that isn’t an indicator of something horrifically wrong with how we treat others, then what is? This is ultimately why Wolf wants to eventually re-release “School Ties,” and it’s why you should give it another watch sometime soon.
“The thing that’s amazing is how the country is completely different than it was 50 years ago, 60 years ago,” Wolf told Entertainment Weekly. “But one inch below the surface is the same horrific crap, and that’s what this movie shows. I’d love it if they rereleased it.”
