Disturbing Nazi Display in Newport Beach

I am cross-posting the contents of a letter sent yesterday to a friend of mine from the Jewish Federation and Family Services of Orange County regarding a Nazi display by some high schoolers in Newport Beach, California. The letter is self explanatory.

Community Update from the CEO

March 3, 2019

Dear (name deleted)   Jewish Federation & Family Services of Orange County became aware today of an anti-Semitic incident that took place last night at an off-campus party attended by high school students. A photo was posted on social media showing a group of teens, including some Newport Harbor High School students, standing around a swastika formed by red plastic cups, smiling, and flashing a Nazi salute. We are deeply disturbed that an action like this was perpetrated by high school students, and are especially concerned about their apparent lack of understanding of, or indifference to, the meaning of these Nazi symbols and the impact of their actions on their Jewish classmates, local Holocaust survivors, and the Jewish community of Orange County. The Newport-Mesa school district has issued an alert to district administrators and board members. District officials met with school administrators and a crisis team today to determine a course of action. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Orange County/Long Beach office, is in communication with the school district to develop a strategy to respond to this issue. The ADL's most recent reporting shows a 94 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in schools for grades K-12. Please be assured that the leadership of Jewish Federation & Family Services of Orange County (JFFS) is in close contact with our regional ADL office, both to gain additional information to keep you updated and so both organizations can take action in our respective roles.  The ADL's mission is to combat hate, and they take a lead role in monitoring and responding to issues of bigotry and hate. JFFS is responsible for engaging our community to build, strengthen, and support Jewish life and care for our most vulnerable community members, including the 300 Holocaust survivors living in Orange County today. We take this responsibility seriously every day, and especially on days like this. As you are likely aware, this is not an isolated incident. Nationwide, anti-Semitic acts are on the rise, including in Orange County. One of our greatest challenges today is the the fact that memory of Nazi crimes is fading, especially among young people in the U.S. According to a recent study conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, two-thirds of American millennials surveyed cannot identify what Auschwitz is and 22 percent of millennials said they haven’t heard of the Holocaust or are not sure whether they’ve heard of it. Younger generations have far less real knowledge of the horrors of the Holocaust than previous generations, creating a great deal of opportunity for education and awareness. Jewish Federation & Family Services will be partnering with the ADL and other Orange County organizations to discuss opportunities to alleviate the ignorance that leads to the behavior we just witnessed. We will keep you informed as we learn more about last night's incident. Sincerely, Arlene Miller President & CEO Jewish Federation & Family Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There could be a lot of things at play here, but one problem is that we are not teaching history to our kids like we used to. Given world events, it is clear we need to incorporate the Holocaust back into our education. History is repeating itslef, and it is all too evident that there are those out there (not necessarily these particular kids, who may be guilty of nothing more than outright stupidity) who would welcome another Holocaust. We have our work cut out for us. It is we who must reach these kids, not the Jew haters of the world.