Students Form Human Swastika on High School Football Field

Eight students from Branham High School in San Jose, California, are under investigation after forming a human swastika on their football field and posting the image alongside a 1939 Adolf Hitler quote calling for the “annihilation of Jews.”

The post, shared on Instagram last Wednesday, was swiftly deleted — but not before being captured and circulated across the internet. According to screenshots obtained by The Guardian, the caption quoted Hitler’s threat that Jewish financiers would cause a world war, “resulting in the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.”

“It’s horrifying,” said Maya Bronicki of the Bay Area Jewish Coalition. “To see American teenagers repeating the words of the man responsible for the Holocaust is something you can’t unsee.”

Branham High School Principal Beth Silbergeld called the display “deeply disturbing and unacceptable,” confirming all eight students have been identified but will not be publicly named due to federal privacy laws.

“This community has no tolerance for hate,” Silbergeld told local media. “Actions that demean or threaten Jewish students have no place in our schools.”

The school said it has contacted the San Jose Police Department and is working with the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council to address what local leaders called “a hate-fueled incident that cannot be ignored.”

California State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat who has been outspoken against antisemitism, shared the photo on Facebook and blasted what he called “a symptom of something larger.”

“We need to ask why these kids thought this was okay — not just the swastika, but tying it to the extermination of Jews,” Wiener wrote. “Antisemitism is growing. It’s leading to harassment, violence, and denial — even from people in power.”

His post drew disturbing responses from online extremists praising the students. One user wrote, “This gives me faith in the next generation.” Another added, “The youth are healing.”

“These replies are as chilling as the image itself,” said Tali Klima, spokesperson for the Bay Area Jewish Coalition. “It shows how normalized hate has become.”

This is not the first antisemitism scandal at Branham High. In April, California’s Department of Education found that an ethnic studies course at the school discriminated against Jewish students. The course reportedly presented only a pro-Palestinian video and omitted an Israeli perspective, prompting a formal complaint by the Bay Area Jewish Coalition.

“Students deserve balanced education, not bias,” the Department’s ruling stated.

Community members say this latest incident feels like the culmination of months of unchecked hostility. “We’ve seen a slow slide toward this kind of thing,” Bronicki said. “When hate speech becomes entertainment for kids, something in society is deeply broken.”

The San Jose incident comes as antisemitic attacks have risen nationwide. Civil rights advocates say inflammatory rhetoric — particularly under President Trump’s second term — has emboldened hate groups and fueled online extremism.

“We’re seeing echoes of the 1930s,” said Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League in a televised statement. “When hate is tolerated, it metastasizes. This should be a wake-up call to every parent and educator in America.”

Source: Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, NBC Bay Area, The Times of Israel, Anti-Defamation League.