Long Island middle school student posts photo showing antisemitic messages drawn on him

A police investigation is underway after a student at a Long Island middle school posted an antisemitic photo on social media.

The photo shows the student from Merrick Avenue Middle School with a large swastika drawn on his back and with “[expletive] the Jews” scrawled in marker.

Sources said the incident occurred over the summer, when the child said he fell asleep and friends drew on his back. However, the Merrick student didn’t post the photo on his social media until recently, which is how school officials found out and took action.

“This is a hateful, hate crime,” said Merrick parent Sarah Martin. “These are children doing it, you just wonder where they are learning it from.”

“It’s a very heavily Jewish community,” said Paulina Todisco, another parent from the town. “I’m Jewish. It’s very scary and appalling.”

In a letter to the community, school officials said they learned about the post earlier in the week, disciplined the student and contacted Nassau County Police. Officials said in part, “we continue to unequivocally condemn antisemitism in all forms” and “that a student’s actions off school property and outside of school hours can still carry extremely serious consequences when those actions violate the standards we expect from our students.”

Moshe Spern, of United Jewish Teachers, said he was alerted to the photo by a Merrick parent and a teacher. He said he was concerned that the child who drew the swastika is not being punished.

“My fear is that there are multiple children who actually think and believe that what this child did is acceptable,” said Spern.

“I’m not sure where it stems from. I would love to know who wrote that and they should both be held responsible,” said Todisco. “And I do think a five-day suspension is not enough.”

Martin agreed, saying “I don’t think a week off from school is going to change a mindset.”

School officials would not confirm the punishment for privacy reasons, but according to county police, the investigation remains underway and detectives have been at the school and the child’s home.  

The Bellmore-Merrick Central School District said they are “cooperation with the police investigation and the matter is being addressed to the fullest extent under our district’s Code of Conduct.”