Posh Virginia private school that allegedly praised Hitler expelled three Jewish students who faced antisemitic bullying: complaint
The Brandeis Center filed the complaint on behalf of the children's parents, Brian Vazquez and Ashok Roy, against the Nysmith School for the Gifted, a K-8 academy located just an hour outside of Washington, DC, and its headmaster, Kenneth Nysmith.
The complaint asserts that the couple's 11-year-old daughter faced a 'campaign of ostracizing' led by a handful of 'popular students' on the sole basis that she is Jewish during the 2024-2025 school year.
Advertisement
3 The Nysmith School for the Gifted allegedly expelled three Jewish students in March.
The students, in an apparent gross misunderstanding of the conflict, cruelly taunted the girl for the death of her uncle, telling her they were glad he 'died in the October 7th attack,' according to the complaint.
Her uncle died years earlier with no relation to the terror attack.
Advertisement
Some students mocked her for being 'Israeli' and dubbed Jews as 'baby killers,' unabashedly saying that 'they deserve to die because of what is happening in Gaza,' the complaint stated.
Others doubled down and insisted that 'everyone at the school is against Jews and Israel, which is why they hate you,' according to the complaint.
One middle school social studies project tasked the students to sketch a child-sized drawing including 'six traits of a leader' following their studies of Niccolo Machiavelli's 'The Prince,' according to an email from the Nysmith School.
The Frankenstein amalgam included weaponry associated with rulers from Machiavelli's time and a tie typically worn by modern-day businessmen or politicians.
Advertisement
The drawing's face, though, depicted a man's face with Adolf Hitler's unmistakable toothbrush mustache and slicked-back hair.
3 The school had a middle school project centered around their studies of Niccolo Machiavelli in which one group highlight Adolf Hitler as a strong leader.
Vazquez and Roy reported the repeated incidents to Nysmith, who promised to take action. Weeks passed and no changes were made, according to the complaint.
If anything, all change moved swiftly away from protecting Vazquez and Roy's daughter as the school soon thereafter cancelled its annual talk hosting a Holocaust survivor to speak with the student body about antisemitism.
Advertisement
Vazquez and Roy had one final meeting with Nysmith on March 11 to address how the harassment escalated ever since the school hung up a Palestinian flag in the school gym mere days after nixing the Holocaust talk.
The Palestine flag hung alongside dozens of others for different countries, including Israel. The parents didn't take any issue with the Palestine flag being displayed, but were concerned that some students were using it to bolster their claims that 'nobody likes [Jewish people],' the complaint stated.
Nysmith, having seemingly run out of patience, abruptly told the couple that their daughter should 'toughen up,' the complaint stated.
3 The school's headmaster and namesake, Kenneth Nysmith, allegedly told the bullied daughter's parents
that she just needed to 'toughen up.'
Two days later, the parents received an email from the school notifying them of their children's expulsion, effective immediately in spite of their consistent involvement with the community and exemplary grades.
'A healthy partnership is required to help guide and nurture young children through tumultuous times and complex current events. I do not see a path forward without trust, understanding, and cooperation. In our meeting, I felt very clearly that you do not think Nysmith is the right school for your family,' Nysmith wrote.
Vazquez and Roy never anticipated the expulsion and had already paid tuition for the following academic year, the complaint said.
Advertisement
Nysmith's email noted that the family would receive a check in the mail within two weeks for all fees paid that year and for the following year. It is unclear if the check was ever sent.
'Through [the Nysmith School's] actions, the administration sent a clear message: bullying is acceptable, as long as it's against Jewish families. We must all emulate the strength of these parents and their children and stand up to anti-Semitism and its perpetrators, as difficult as it may be,' Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center, wrote in a statement.
The complaint is seeking compensatory damages for a slew of costs such as the children's online courses and the inclusion of annual antisemitism training for the Nysmith school community.
Nysmith rejected the allegations and asserted that the information circulating online is not complete in an email he forwarded in response to a message seeking comment from The Post, in which he also claimed he was 'not aware of any legal action involving the school.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
Australia will recognize a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Albanese says
Australia will recognize a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday, joining the leaders of France, Britain and Canada in signaling they would do so. His remarks followed weeks of urging from within his Cabinet and from many in Australia to recognize a Palestinian state and amid growing criticism from officials in his government over suffering in Gaza, which Albanese on Monday referred to as a 'humanitarian catastrophe.' Australia's government has also criticized plans announced in recent days by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu for a sweeping new military offensive in Gaza. 4 Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a press conference in Canberra on Aug. 11, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Albanese told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Monday that Australia's decision to recognize a Palestinian state will be formalized at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The acknowledgement was 'predicated on commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,' Albanese said. Those commitments included no role for Hamas in a Palestinian government, demilitarization of Gaza and the holding of elections, he said. 'A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,' Albanese said. 'The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world's worst fears,' he said. 'The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children.' Ahead of Albanese's announcement, Netanyahu on Sunday criticized Australia and other European countries that have moved to recognize a Palestinian state. 4 Palestinians wait to get free food in the west of Gaza City, on Aug. 10, 2025. Xinhua/Shutterstock 'To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole … this canard, is disappointing and I think it's actually shameful,' the Israeli leader said. Australia has designated Hamas a terrorist entity and Albanese repeated Monday his government's calls for the group to return Israeli hostages held since Oct. 7, 2023. The Australian leader last week spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose authority administers parts of the occupied West Bank, supports a two-state solution and cooperates with Israel on security matters. Abbas has agreed to conditions with Western leaders, including Albanese, as they prepared to recognize a Palestinian state. 4 This picture taken from a position on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, shows smoke rising during an Israeli strike on the besieged Palestinian territory on Aug. 10, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 'This is an opportunity to deliver self-determination for the people of Palestine in a way isolates Hamas, disarms it and drives it out of the region once and for all,' Albanese said. He added that Hamas did not support a two-state solution. Nearly 150 of the 193 members of the United Nations have already recognized Palestinian statehood, most of them decades ago. The United States and other Western powers have held off, saying Palestinian statehood should be part of a final agreement resolving the decades-old Middle East conflict. Recognition announcements are largely symbolic and are rejected by Israel. 4 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a press conference at the Prime minister's office in Jerusalem on Aug. 10, 2025. POOL/AFP via Getty Images A two-state solution would see a state of Palestine created alongside Israel in most or all of the occupied West Bank, the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and annexed east Jerusalem, territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war that the Palestinians want for their state. Albanese dismissed suggestions Monday that the move was solely symbolic. 'This is a practical contribution towards building momentum,' he said. 'This is not Australia acting alone.' Albanese had discussed Australia's decision with the leaders of Britain, France, New Zealand and Japan, he said. He also had a 'long discussion' with Netanyahu this month, he added. In neighboring New Zealand, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Monday his government 'will carefully weigh up its position' on recognizing a Palestinian state before making a formal decision in September. 'New Zealand has been clear for some time that our recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if,' Peters said in a statement.
Boston Globe
33 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Could Somerville mayoral hopeful Willie Burnley fairly represent Zionist constituents?
Councilor Willie Burnley Jr.'s seat was empty except for a keffiyeh while constituent Daniel Engel spoke at a Somerville City Council meeting on March 27. Courtesy David Lichter Burnley told me he left not to insult Engel but to protect the protesters after council chair Judy Pineda Neufeld threatened to have police remove them if they continued chanting. 'I stood up to use my presence as a city councilor to potentially protect many residents who were expressing their political beliefs,' Burnley said. (According to Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Advertisement To Engel, Burnley's actions epitomized his approach. 'My experience with him has been he wants to pander to his people and doesn't necessarily want to work with anybody who disagrees with him,' Engel said in an interview. Burnley is running for Somerville mayor against incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Councilor Jake Wilson in the Sept. 16 preliminary election. Burnley's been compared to New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Both are democratic socialists. Both are raising fears among many Jewish, Zionist constituents who worry that amid Advertisement In a recent Burnley said he would implement the ballot question if it passes. Many Jews see the measure as discriminatory against Israel and local businesses with Israeli ties. How broadly it applies would depend on interpretation, but there are concrete impacts. For example, divestment supporters Two photographs of Burnley at pro-Palestinian protests amplify some voters' fears. In one, which Burnley posted on social media, Burnley poses at a Washington, D.C., rally while in the background, someone holds a sign with a Nazi swastika flag next to an Israeli flag. In another, at a 2024 Tufts University encampment, Burnley poses in front of posters reading 'Glory to the martyrs,' 'Zionist tactics were used to kill Eric Garner, George Floyd … ' and other victims of police violence, and a picture of American and Israeli flags on fire. Advertisement Burnley has a right to protest. But those signs are offensive. A swastika represents the Nazi regime that killed 6 million Jews and millions of others. 'Glory to the martyrs' extols political violence, since Islamist terrorist groups Burnley said he didn't create the artwork or know who was holding the swastika sign. He removed the swastika photo from his social media last year, after some people asked him to. But he wouldn't disavow the sentiments. Because some US police officers have He suggested 'martyrs' could refer to 'all people murdered by Israeli genocide,' including children. Burnley said the swastika sign was a 'comparison about two governments' actions, two governments that many … view to have committed a genocide.' (The genocide accusation itself is Anti-Zionism isn't always antisemitism, and Burnley says he's I spoke to nearly a dozen Jewish Somerville residents, including some acquaintances from my time living in the area. Many moved there seeking a liberal, diverse, welcoming community. Now, they feel unwelcome and ostracized. Advertisement Brian Sokol, a Somerville human rights commissioner speaking for himself, said his pro-Israel lawn sign After the Somerville City Council Group members told me they often see anti-Israel graffiti in public spaces. Some expressed discomfort with protests that block access to public places. In a letter to the state's antisemitism commission, Shalom Somerville said an Israeli child had his locker vandalized with pro-Palestinian graffiti his first day at a Somerville public school. Teachers posted pro-Palestinian signs in classrooms, according to Shalom Somerville and a photograph one member emailed me. 'I don't want to live in a community where I have to worry if my mayor or city council will all of a sudden say if you're Israeli, you're not welcome here, or if you work for an Israeli company, you're not welcome here,' resident Bruce Kaplan told me. Elana Bloomfield, a Somerville physician, told me she feels like almost every public city event becomes a platform for pro-Palestinian signs and rallies, and she worries about electing a mayor who encourages that activism. 'It's really hard to live like that. It's not a comfortable environment,' she said. Advertisement I asked Burnley if he could represent Zionist constituents. Burnley said he has neighbors with different political views, and Zionist constituents 'might not always agree with my analysis, my decisions, my approach, but they will always know where I stand.' Somerville residents need to know their mayor will clean graffiti; enforce time, place, and manner restrictions on protests; take harassment seriously; and ensure events are welcoming to all residents, including Jews, Zionists, and Israelis. Voters must decide if they believe Burnley can. Shira Schoenberg can be reached at
36 minutes ago
Israeli strike kills 4 Al Jazeera journalists, including Anas Al Sharif, in Gaza, network says
LONDON -- The Al Jazeera media company said in a Sunday statement that four of its journalists -- including prominent correspondent Anas Al Sharif -- were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent housing reporters in Gaza City. Fellow correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal were also killed in the attack, Al Jazeera said. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it targeted Sharif, claiming the correspondent headed a Hamas cell and was involved in rocket attacks against Israeli targets. Sunday's strike came after the Committee to Protect Journalists published an appeal for Sharif's protection, saying it was "gravely worried" about his safety and accusing the IDF of launching a "smear campaign," against him, which Sharif "believes is a precursor to his assassination." Sharif was one of the best-known journalists reporting from Gaza, with millions of social media followers. He last posted to his X and Instagram accounts minutes before his death. The CPJ said that 186 journalists have been killed since the start of the Israel-Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023. At least 178 of those were Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, the group said.
