A viral image of San José students forming a human swastika while lying on their high school’s football field has roiled the Silicon Valley community and prompted outcry from the Jewish community.
The picture of eight Branham High School students was posted on social media on Wednesday, accompanied by an antisemitic 1939 quote from Adolf Hitler. The post has since been deleted and denounced by local leaders.
“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,” said Beth Silbergeld, the school’s principal, in a statement to The Times. “Personally, I am horrified by this act. Professionally, I am confident and hopeful that our school community can learn from this moment and emerge stronger and more united.”
The students who took part in the incident have been identified, but will not be made public because of federal law, Silbergeld said.
However, the matter has been referred to the San José Police Department, and the district plans to work with the Anti-Defamation League, the Bay Area Jewish Coalition and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area to address the fear caused by the event, she said.
Jewish students at the school and their parents expressed disbelief.
“I was really scared, my identity feels threatened right now,” a Jewish senior at the school, who requested anonymity, told the Jewish News of Northern California.
“There are people at my school who think they can get away with this. And for me, that was just really, really scary to know.”
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