Jewish students in NorCal ask district to fight against antisemitism

“We believe the ‘action’ taken thus far by the administration has done nothing to make us feel secure and safe."

Antisemitism in the United States: Antisemitic graffiti on The Rock landmark at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, blaming Jews for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, September, 2019 (photo credit: ADL)
Antisemitism in the United States: Antisemitic graffiti on The Rock landmark at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, blaming Jews for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, September, 2019
(photo credit: ADL)

Jewish students and their supporters have called on school officials in Northern California’s Marin County to take action against antisemitism at a local high school.

More than 5,600 people have signed the Change.org petition addressed to the Tamalpais Union High School District and its superintendent, Tara Taupier.

Last month, an Instagram account associated with the Redwood High School in the city of Larkspur, 13 miles north of San Francisco, called on followers to identify Jewish high school students in Marin County. School officials later said that they believed they had identified the student running the Instagram account and provided the information to local law enforcement. The account was removed.

“Our safety is threatened by the list and the pictures posted by the student,” reads the petition signed by Redwood students. “The list of Jewish students paired with the image of the swastika and the bullet produces an uncanny resemblance to the use of lists during the Nazi Regime. The idea of going back to school with a student whose beliefs align with those of Nazis is inconceivable.

“We believe the ‘action’ taken thus far by the administration has done nothing to make us feel secure and safe. This student has gotten away with offensive behavior for far too long and this recent escalation is a direct result of the lack of attention given by the district.”

The action taken so far, according to the petition, was an email from the district that “focused too much on the history of antisemitism and the actions of the community rather than the action plan of the district.”