A photo of eight students lying in the shape of a swastika on a high school football field in San Jose, California, has caused shock and outrage among the Bay Area Jewish community.
A Branham high school student posted the photo to social media on 3 December, and included an antisemitic quote from Adolf Hitler in the caption. A screenshot of the post began circulating on Reddit last Thursday and garnered over 500 comments. The post and the account were removed by Instagram by Friday morning, according to J., the Jewish News of Northern California.
The school’s principal, Beth Silbergeld, told the Guardian in a written statement that the social media post was reported to an anonymous tip line on Wednesday evening.
She also shared that the school will not be sharing the identities of the students who participated or the disciplinary action taken against them, in accordance with federal laws.
“While this incident does not reflect the values of the vast majority of our students and families, the harm it caused is real and must be addressed,” Silbergeld said in the statement. “Many in our community were rightly appalled by the image. This incident is troubling and unacceptable. Professionally, we are committed to learning from this moment and moving forward with greater unity and purpose.”
She added: “Our message to the community is clear: this was a disturbing and unacceptable act of antisemitism. Actions that target, demean, or threaten Jewish students have no place on our campuses. CUHSD [Campbell Union High School District] and Branham stand firmly against all forms of hate, discrimination, and intolerance.”
Representatives from the Bay Area Jewish Coalition (BAJC), a grassroots organization dedicated to ensuring the safety of Jewish Bay Area residents, shared that the impact of the social media post has reverberated beyond San Jose.
“To have children echoing Hitler’s words is frankly just shocking and heartbreaking, and the entire community has been rocked by this,” Tali Klima, a BAJC spokesperson, said. “This bold and premeditated display has really shaken everyone.”
Maya Bronicki, BAJC’s education lead, attributed the incident in part to a lack of proper Holocaust education and historical context on hate symbols, such as the swastika. “We have absolute faith that if the district takes actual measures to teach students the right lessons about being inclusive and anti-hate, that Jews are a minority that deserve compassion and understanding and deserve to be equal to everyone else in this education system, then that would be a huge step towards tomorrow’s society,” she said.
The school district is planning to work with BAJC, as well as the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area to address and repair harm caused by the incident.
