'Hitler' outburst at school committee meeting raises furor in Massachusetts

A public outburst in which a School Committee member recited a Nazi salute and called a Jewish colleague "Hitler" has sparked the mayor and some members of the public to call for an official apology.

But school committee member Alfred Baptista's colleagues Thursday stopped short of demanding an official mea culpa.

Baptista - who made the "Heil Hitler" remark to committeeman Barry Cooperstein at Wednesday's meeting - said his comments have been misconstrued.

"It was not a racial comment," Baptista said. "It was about him acting like a dictator. It was a poor choice of words. I could have said, 'Don't be a dictator.'"

Baptista, who is running for re-election in November, added that he was in a heated argument and "not thinking."

Baptista said he is not an anti-Semite in "any way, shape or form," and has never had an issue with Cooperstein's ethnicity or religion.

"I've known Barry since grammar school or high school, and it's never been an issue," he said. "He and I disagree about things, but never about religion."

When asked if he plans to apologize, Baptista said, "If he's offended by it, of course. I don't think he interpreted it the way anyone else did."

Others, though, did not see it that way.

Mayor Charles Crowley, who attended the meeting, equated the severity of Baptista's remarks to a racial slur.

"I thought the comments were outrageous," Crowley said. "The choice of words was so offensive to Mr. Cooperstein, as a member of the committee and a member of the Jewish faith. It was offensive to every person of Taunton."

Crowley said that Baptista "at the very least owes an apology to Mr. Cooperstein."

School Committee member Cathal O'Brien said he was shocked by the outburst and is upset with himself for not addressing the situation during the meeting. No one on the committee publicly addressed the comment during the meeting.

"I'm embarrassed because I didn't do anything," he said. "If you witness something like that and don't do anything, by default you're part of the problem. All of us in that room missed an opportunity to do the right thing."

The incident occurred in the School Committee's subcommittee meeting on nursing, when Baptista argued with Superintendent Arthur W. Stellar about how many additional nurses the district would need to ensure full coverage for all schools.

Cooperstein, who chairs the subcommittee, told Baptista to act more professionally and to not raise his voice while addressing the superintendent.

Baptista, upset with the strict way Cooperstein ran the meeting, stood up, turned to the subcommittee chairman and replied, "Yes, heil Hitler. Sieg heil."

Cooperstein, who is Jewish, did not address Baptista's comment during the meeting, but spoke about the matter Thursday.

"I knew there was nothing I could say that could make it better," said Cooperstein, who is often the lone dissenting voice on committee votes. "I waited for my fellow committee members to say something, and they didn't. I was disappointed, but not surprised."

Baptista, who has frequently clashed with Cooperstein over many issues, threw his arm in the air as he made the remarks. Some people interpreted the gesture as a Nazi salute, but Baptista said Thursday that he was just motioning for Cooperstein to sit down.

School Committee Chairwoman Christine Fagan said she doubts Baptista intended his comments to be construed as anti-Semitic.

"It was one of those comments made in the heat of the moment," she said. "It's unfortunate, but I think he was trying to say he was acting like a dictator."

Committee member Jordan Fiore, whose mother fled Austria as a World War II refugee, said he believes Baptista's comment was "borne out of frustration."

"I think he's just frustrated in the manner in which Mr. Cooperstein sought to maintain order," he said.

"I know Al Baptista well enough to know things just roll off of him," Fiore added. "I don't take it personally. I know Mr. Baptista is not a fundamentally mean person."

Fiore stopped short of calling for Baptista to apologize.

"I think he should at least explain the context of his remarks," he said.

O'Brien said that Baptista, though known for his passionate arguments, was out of character during Wednesday's outburst.

"He is the last person I could ever imagine doing that," he said.

Baptista, who is Catholic, said he agrees with the late Pope John Paul II's decree that no racist can be a true follower of that faith.

He also said he's researching his family genealogy and discovered he may have some Jewish ancestry.

Stellar said it's not his place to call for Baptista to apologize.

"Anything along those lines, I would do privately," he said. "I'm just concerned a member of the school committee would make that remark."

The school department, Stellar said, received many calls Thursday complaining about Baptista's statement.

Mija Almeida, a member of Taunton's Congregation of Agudath Achim, said she was so shocked when she saw Baptista quoted in Thursday's Taunton Daily Gazette that she e-mailed several of her friends who also belong to the synagogue, asking them to complain to the school department.

"I think it was very self righteous and anti-Semitic," she said.

Cooperstein said he has "no idea what was on Mr. Baptista's mind."

"If we confine our future conversations to education, that would be the best for everyone," he said.

Cooperstein said he doesn't care whether he gets an apology.

"The less I hear from Mr. Baptista, the better," he said.

Reach Gerry Tuoti of The Taunton (Mass.) Gazette at gtuoti@tauntongazette.com