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San Jose police have launched a hate crime investigation after eight students at Branham High School drew a human swastika on the school’s football field and posted the image online along with anti-Semitic quotes from Adolf Hitler.
what happened: The incident occurred on December 3, with students posing in the shape of a swastika on the ground and taking photos. They then posted this image on Instagram, which quoted Hitler’s 1939 remarks calling for the extermination of the Jews. The next night, school administrators received the photo through an anonymous tip line and moved quickly to find the person responsible.
The original post has been deleted, but copies continue to circulate online. The incident drew national media attention on Sunday, with Silicon Valley leaders and Jewish community organizations condemning the behavior. “I’m really scared and my identity feels threatened right now,” a Jewish senior at Branham told Northern California Jewish News. “There are people in my school who think they can get away with it. To me, knowing that is really, really scary.”
what does that mean: The incident struck at the heart of San Jose’s diverse community, which has the largest Vietnamese population outside Vietnam and where Asian Americans make up nearly 39% of the city’s 990,000 residents. The willingness of teenagers to publicly display symbols of hate reveals the deep roots of prejudice in young people, a threat that extends far beyond any one minority community.
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Asian Americans, who have seen a sharp increase in hate incidents in recent years, understand this danger all too well. The fact that students are openly portraying Nazis in broad daylight shows that prejudices are being learned and reinforced, creating the conditions for any marginalized group to become the next target.
A New York City Republican club also made headlines last week for its plans to commemorate a far-right German political leader on Dec. 13, two months after it was disbanded after leaked chats in which members praised Hitler and used racist slurs against Asians.
Investigation is ongoing: School officials have reportedly identified the students involved but cannot release their names due to federal privacy protections. Principal Beth Silbergeld said via the Los Angeles Times, “Our message to the community is clear: This is disturbing and unacceptable anti-Semitic behavior. Behavior that targets, demeans or threatens Jewish students has no place on our campuses.” To address the issue, Branham High School is working with the Anti-Defamation League, the Bay Area Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council.
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The incident comes amid a disturbing national trend. The Anti-Defamation League recorded more than 9,300 anti-Semitic incidents nationwide in 2024, a 344% increase from the previous five years. The California Department of Education has pledged to provide “statewide resources” to support schools’ response.
This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter, a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark that retells our stories and celebrates Asian American voices.
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