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On Wednesday, March 5, Wayland High School and middle school students saw a swastika symbol spray painted outside the pool building en route to school in the morning. The swastika has now been covered.
This is not the first time the Wayland Community Pool has been vandalized with hateful speech. A racial slur was painted on the pool wall in December of 2022 as a racially motivated attack on the former Superintendent of Wayland Public Schools Omar Easy.
The swastika was adopted as the symbol of the Nazi party of Adolf Hitler, who used the symbol to represent Nazi values and belief in a superior Aryan race and has been since used to target Jewish people.
The recent graffiti came as a shock to students and staff on campus. Students describe this incident as disturbing and hurtful, and hope to see a swift response from the Wayland community.
“Whether it’s antisemitism, racism, homophobia or any other form of hate there should be a strong response from both the administration and the community,” Jewish Student Union (JSU) senior leader Bella Schreiber said.
Schreiber, along with senior Rachel Goldstone and Rebecca Grossman founded JSU at WHS last year amid the rising levels of antisemitism across the nation. They encourage students to seek support from those they trust while navigating this act of hate.
“I urge anyone who feels hurt or afraid or any other emotions from this incident to reach out to someone they trust, and keep in mind that Rebecca, Rachel and I are also here to talk,” Schreiber said.
When the WHS administration gets a report involving a hateful message, such as this graffiti, an investigation is launched along with the police department. Administration contacts the police immediately to ensure the vandalism is taken down. Administration also builds a communication thread with other staff members to keep them updated.
“We do our best to give comfort and support to students who need it,” Assistant Principal Sean Gass said.
This article is a developing story that is subject to updates.
Rajeshwari Godbole • Mar 6, 2025 at 12:33 PM
I’m sorry but there are serious errors in this article. Firstly, the Swastika was NEVER used by Hitler or the Nazis. Thus, to say, “The swastika was adopted as the symbol of the Nazi party of Adolf Hitler” is absolutely wrong! It was the Hakenkreuz that was adopted as the Nazi symbol. Please show me one example where Hitler or the Nazis used the word “Swastika”, in the original German. Not the mistranslated English where Hakenkreuz was surreptitiously translated to Swastika instead of “Hooked Cross” which is what it should have been translated to. What Hitler used or rather abused was a version of the Christian cross. The Swastika had absolutely nothing to do with this horrific history. There is a ton of research on this including by some eminent Jewish scholars. I’ll leave two references here (since links are not allowed you’ll have to put this in a browser search to get the links) where you can read/see this for yourself:
1. Research by many scholars including Jewish scholars with historical citations and references: cohna .org/swastika
2. An excellent documentary on Youtube on the history with facts and evidences: Please search for “The Silence of Swastika | The Biggest Betrayal | English | FULL FILM” on YouTube.
It is very distressing to see the truth thrown under the bus once again and that too by one of our own. Please, I urge you, take a look at the true history and please do not use the word Swastika when talking about the Nazi Hakenkreuz. The context, usage and intent of the two could not be more diametrically opposite. Let us educate and enlighten ourselves and our communities. Thank you!
Sky Olander, Weston MA • Mar 5, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Thank you for writing this piece and giving context to the incident with better details than the Boston Globe used. This is what local reporting should look like! Wish there was a quote from a student on the bus who drove by and saw the swastika, or from whomever phoned it in to the police. Follow up article??