California High School Team Gives Nazi Salute During Awards Ceremony

Nazi salute at a southern California high school ceremony.

By Alyssa Fisher August 19, 2019

High school athletes in southern California gave a Nazi salute during an awards ceremony last year, The Daily Beast reported.

A video showed water polo team members from Pacifica High School in Garden Grove saluting and chanting a song that was played during the rise of Adolf Hitler to support the Nazi troops. One of the athletes shared the video on Instagram, and the lyrics were found on his profile’s bio.

A spokesperson for the school district told The Daily Beast that administration was notified about the incident four months later. It’s unclear if anyone was disciplined.

“While the district cannot comment on student discipline, the school did address this situation with all involved students and families,” the spokesperson said. “The district adheres to strong policies about harassment and cultural sensitivity, and we condemn all acts of anti-Semitism and hate in all forms. We remain focused on educating students about cultural sensitivity and are committed to holding students accountable, educating them on the consequences of their choices, and the impact these actions have on our schools and community at large.”

It’s the second Nazi-related incident among students in southern California this year. In March, the Newport-Mesa United School District responded to photos on social media that showed students partying, throwing up Nazi salutes and playing a drinking game with cups arranged to look like a swastika.

Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO