Then they quoted one of Hitler’s most notorious speeches.
In a disgusting display of how anti-Semitism has filtered from our universities down to our K-12 schools, a group of students from Branham High School in San Jose, California were revealed to have posed for a photo shoot using their bodies to construct a ‘human swastika’ on the school football field. The students then posted the image to social media alongside a quote from Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
The photo is not subtle. It features eight students, who all appear to be male, lying on the grass of the football field. Four of their bodies are used to form the inner core of the ‘crooked cross’ while the remaining four students form the outer bent arms of the swastika.
Branham High’s mascot, a bruin bear, painted in blue and white on the grass of the football field, is clearly visible just beyond the hateful symbol. It seems obvious that a good deal of forethought and planning went into executing the anti-Semitic stunt.
The photo was then shared to Instagram with the following quote from Adolf Hitler: “I want to be a prophet again today. If international financial Jews inside and outside Europe were to succeed in plunging nations into a world war once again, the result will not be Bolshevization of the earth and thus a victory for Judaism, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe. The world may laugh at this statement; many laughed at my words back then. But time will show that there is more truth to this prophecy than today’s adversaries can love. Nations will rise against those who push them into conflict, chaos and destruction.”
The quote is taken from Hitler’s January 1939 speech before the German Reichstag in which he addressed the “Jewish Question” and attempted to lay blame for the coming world war on the Jewish people even as Germany made plans to invade Poland later that same year. The Simon Weisenthal Center labeled this particular Hitler speech “one of his most infamous addresses, in which he threatened ‘the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe’”—a promise that he later attempted to fulfill through the ‘final solution’ of concentration camps and gas chambers.
Branham High school administrators were first notified of the photo through an anonymous tip line on December 3rd and began investigating its origins. The Instagram post and the account which had shared it were taken down two days later.
“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 at Branham,” commented school principal Beth Silbergeld. “Many in our community were rightly appalled by the image. 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.”
While refusing to identify the students involved or comment on specific disciplinary procedures, Principal Silbergeld promised “justice.”
“We are responding in accordance with education code and our district’s commitment to restorative justice,” she said in a statement. “The students who were involved are committed to taking accountability for the harm that was done.”
While the Branham High administration appears to be saying and doing all the right things in response to this outrageous and defiant act of Jew hatred on school property, one must question how such casual and gleeful anti-Semitism found its way into a prestigious Silicon Valley high school. --->READ MORE HERE
An antisemitic photo involving students at Branham High School last week sent shockwaves through the community
Cormac, an 18-year-old senior at Branham High School in San Jose, was on the way to his AP Government class on Oct. 4 when a fellow Jewish student showed him her phone. What he saw on it was shocking: a photo of a group of his classmates arranging their bodies into the shape of a swastika on the school’s football field.
“My jaw visibly dropped. … Within the span of 30 seconds, my emotions from shock shifted to actual anger,” said Cormac, who asked to only be identified by his first name due to the sensitivity of the situation. “What I was feeling in that moment was how disgusting it was for someone to post this on social media.
“This was an open hate crime. It wasn’t subtle. It wasn’t secretive. This was out there in the open for a lot of people to see, and it made me feel really unwelcome at school.”
The photo sent shockwaves through the high school and larger community last week after it was posted to social media alongside a quote from Adolf Hitler, prompting condemnation from school and elected officials and concern from local Jewish organizations.
The school was investigating the incident and reported it to the San Jose Police Department, which said this week that it was being investigated as a hate crime.
Cormac recalled standing in a huddle with other students, all shocked by the photo they were looking at. Many of them had the impulse to question the participants on why they would do such a thing — and tell them that their actions were not okay.
“One person would be strange, but nine to 10 people being openly antisemitic, that was just like, is this a bigger issue than I thought?” he said. “I didn’t know how many other people actually thought this.”
Cormac’s mom, Sarah, 53, was also shocked by the incident. She experienced antisemitism growing up, but she said that, even ten years ago, such an act would have been unacceptable.
“The quote is what really bothers me, also, because it’s an Adolf Hitler quote, and it’s calling for, essentially, the annihilation of the Jewish race,” Sarah said. “I just wanted to get down to: What’s going on? Is this something that’s a huge issue at Branham that’s going to start coming to light? Or is this … just (nine) stupid kids doing something for the shock value?”
Brian Levin, the founding director of the Center for Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, said that there has been a large increase in hate crimes in recent years but that 2025 is on track to have fewer than 2024. In San Jose in 2024, there were 116 hate crimes, six of which were antisemitic. As of October 2025, there had been 68 hate crimes, four of which were antisemitic. But that decrease still makes for an “elevated plateau,” he said.
Levin added that there has also been an increase in anti-Jewish hate incidents, with Jewish people reporting that they have been facing hostility more routinely. Much of that occurs online and draws on stereotypes and canards. Some use the ongoing Israel-Hamas war to “exploit the most long-standing and vile stereotyping caricatures against Jews.”
Social media, he added, “has descended into a cauldron of stereotyping, conspiracy and aggression.” --->READ MORE HERE
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