A Jewish student at Branham High School in San Jose says the school community is “shocked, furious and enraged” after a group of eight teenagers formed a “human swastika” on the football field.
The San Jose Police Department told J. it is investigating the incident, and the school district issued a statement on Tuesday saying the students involved would face consequences. Superintendent Robert Bravo said the Campbell Union High School District would “respond firmly, thoughtfully, and within the full scope allowed by Board Policy and California law.”
The teens formed themselves into the shape of the Nazi symbol and posted a photo to Instagram last week, along with a Hitler quote about the “annihilation of the Jewish race.” First reported in J., the incident has since been widely covered by local, national and international media.
“While student privacy laws prevent us from sharing individual disciplinary outcomes, I can assure you that the response will be significant, appropriate, and reflective of the harm caused,” Bravo said in the statement.
Police did not immediately respond to questions about the specific nature of the investigation. In California, it is illegal to display a Nazi swastika on private property or in public places, including schools, with the intent of terrorizing others.
In the statement, Bravo said the school district considers it an instance of “hate violence” based on Education Code 48900.3. The state code allows for suspension or expulsion of students in grades 4-12 who have caused, attempted to cause, threatened or participated in hate violence, legally defined as “violence against you or your property because of your race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and other protected characteristics.”
“Our response cannot be limited to discipline alone,” said Bravo. “We are committed to using this incident as an opportunity to deepen education around antisemitism, hate symbols and the historical atrocities associated with them.”
The photo began circulating online on Dec. 3.
Cormac Nolan, a Jewish senior at Branham, told J. on Tuesday that when a friend showed him the post in his AP government class, he felt that reporting it to the school wasn’t enough — so he posted it on his own Instagram story, with a caption condemning the action. His story ended up reposted to Reddit under r/SanJose, where it garnered over 500 comments before it was removed.
“I don’t know who reported it [to the school] because it was anonymous, but whoever did it, I’m very proud of them because I know it takes a lot of courage to do,” said Nolan.
He described the energy on campus in the days following the incident as “shocked, furious and enraged,” with many students buzzing about how “stupid these kids were to post this on social media,” how their futures are “so ruined” and questioning what consequences they are facing.
“We don’t want to see hatred,” Nolan said. “We don’t want to see the idolization of one of the most evil men to ever walk the face of the Earth. We don’t want someone who spews out hatred like this on our campus.”
Nolan, who often wears a kippah and tzitzit to school, said in the wake of the incident he does not feel afraid to be visibly Jewish on campus. Instead, he said there is solidarity at Branham, including with other marginalized groups that were targeted by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
“It is not just Jews who are impacted. It’s people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, people who like to stand up for democracy,” he said. “There are so many people who are affected by this, and it’s clearly shown on campus, because I have received an outpouring of support from educators, from staff, from students. Branham High School has really stepped up.”
Principal Beth Silbergeld, who is Jewish, told J. on Dec. 5 that the school is working with the police, the Anti-Defamation League and the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, an advocacy group focusing on antisemitism in schools, “to ensure that we receive appropriate support and guidance as we work to repair the harm that’s been done to our community.”
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond told J. on Tuesday that he spoke with school district officials and that they were “responsive” to his agency’s offer to assist with resources and solutions.
Thurmond also said it is clear that more Holocaust education is needed “to end hate and prevent further hate and to prevent young people from being co-opted into hate-mongering groups and activities.”
“We’re not going to sit passively when there are messages of antisemitism sprouting on a school campus,” he said.
State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco condemned the incident in a Dec. 7 Facebook post and used it to discuss the “pervasive and growing” issue of antisemitism.
“The school responded well to this horrific incident. But we need to ask ourselves why these students believed it was ok to do this — not just the swastika but linking it to extermination of Jews due to ‘international financial Jews,’” he wrote.
State Sen. Dave Cortese, whose district includes San Jose, wrote in a Dec. 8 statement that he was “deeply disturbed” by the incident.
“Acts of hatred — no matter where they occur — have a profound impact on our young people, our families, and our broader community. There is absolutely no place for anti-Semitism, or any form of bigotry, in our schools or in our society,” Cortese wrote.
Nolan’s mother, Sarah Nolan, told J. she hopes that after the investigation is over, the school or district will issue a report about what happened, what disciplinary actions were taken and how teachers are going to address the situation moving forward.