A swastika was spray painted on a bus stop half a mile from the school, at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Alcove Avenue, May 22. Next to the symbol was a message that read, “F**k you white b***h.”

The act follows a pattern of increasing antisemitism in 2025. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there has been a 5% increase since 2023.

History Teacher Jennifer Golub-Marcus said she was disturbed but not shocked by the sighting.

“To me, seeing the swastika wasn’t that shocking because of how normalized hate has become,” Golub-Marcus said. “This incident, along with others, is a clear symptom of rampant antisemitism. As a secular institution, the school needs to open up honest conversations about the history of antisemitism.”

Isabella Zhang ’27 said the incident was distressing and reflected a need for systemic change.

“I think it’s especially bad because the whole purpose of educational systems is to teach us not to repeat history,” Zhang said. “We need to learn from our mistakes so we know what is right, and we can stand on the right side of history. The fact that people are still doing this in 2025 is scary, and the way it’s so normalized to write symbols that represent evil in public with no remorse shows us how uneducated society is becoming. I hope that people can get the education they need and learn that it is not okay to do things like this.”

Hudson Phillips ’27 said the attack was a gross display of antisemitism, and the community needs to unite against hate.

“The Jewish community needs to stand together against these attacks, and the public needs to be educated on the historical context,” Phillips said. “As a Jewish person, it is horrifying to see this symbol representative of so much harm callously displayed. It is easy for people to not feel like this affects them until it is graffitied on the bus station next to their school or carved onto their desk, but no matter where hate is, it impacts all of us.”