In the wake of a photo surfacing allegedly featuring Schreiber High School students doing the Nazi salute, the Port Washington School District held a community forum Monday night to discuss antisemitism where community members could receive information from the district and express their concerns.

A photo surfaced on social media about two weeks ago allegedly featuring three students doing the Nazi salute, one student wearing a gas mask and another holding a shovel.

The district released a statement on Oct. 16 detailing what the district has done in response to the issue and what it will continue to do. Prior to the photo appearing, the district had released a statement about an incident but did not provide details.

“This image that took place in our community has caused harm to so many I know and I want to make it clear that we denounce antisemitism in all its forms,” Superintendent  Michael Hynes told attendees at the discussion. “There is no place for antisemitism here. There is no place for hate here.”

Hynes said antisemitism has been on the rise on Long Island and nationwide, not making it a unique issue to the district, but what was unique was the method of addressing the issue through hosting a community forum.

Board of Education President Adam Smith said the recent antisemitic incidents in the school district are important for the district to address and said they have been stepping up the response in order to mitigate the harm in the wake of it all.

“We really wanted to make sure that our community, who is really hurting and feeling this felt heard and had the opportunity to express that to us,” Smith said. “And that we had a chance to hear them so that everybody is moving forward on the same page as one team.”

Smith described Monday night as “difficult yet extremely important,” as he and the other Board of Education members were able to hear the concerns of their community and the perspectives on their experiences.

Nearly 500 community members attended the discussion, including about 25 students.

The Port Washington School District asked members of the press not to attend the discussion Monday night to be respectful of the community members participating. Blank Slate did not attend the event due to the district’s request, but spoke with the superintendent and Board of Education president to report on the event’s proceedings.

Smith said the purpose of the event was two-fold: to inform community members about the actions taken by the district in addressing antisemitism and what they will be doing moving forward, as well as to hear from the community so the Board of Education and administrators could understand their perspective and crowdsource ideas from them on what they can do in the future.

Hynes expanded on the purpose, adding that the event also worked towards fostering partnerships with local clergy members to create an interfaith standpoint on addressing the issue.

“Because it’s going to take all hands on deck, we believe, to do this very important work,” Hynes said. “It can’t just happen in isolation. We need to get more of the broad community involved.”

When attendees first came into the meeting, they were encouraged to scan a QR code which led them to an application where they could submit words describing how they were feeling. Smith said some of the words included “scared,” “disheartened” and “alone.”

The discussion began with an opening remark from Hynes where he addressed the situation and the purpose of the discussion.

“​​The Port Washington School District must be a place where every student feels safe, and this is impossible when hate is allowed to exist and even thrive through language and imagery,” Hynes said during his opening remarks, shared with Blank Slate after the fact. “It is important for everyone to understand that messages of hate cause serious harm to our entire community and our community is hurting right now, in particular our Jewish friends, our Jewish families, our Jewish students.”

All attendees were then split into six breakout rooms for adults and one for students, with each room having one senior administrator present to facilitate the conversation and a Board of Education trustee present. The trustee was tasked with writing down the notes of the key themes of the conversation.

Smith said ideas suggested by the community included organizations to partner with, having equal representation of different groups in reading materials for all ages, student activities and meeting with Holocaust survivors.

He said a prevalent theme during conversations Monday night concerned the issues with social media and the students’ use of the medium.

After the breakout room conversations concluded, all attendees came back together in the auditorium where the administrator of each breakout room shared the themes of their conversations.

The notes from each breakout room were compiled onto a board that was posted in the cafeteria, so as each attendee exited the auditorium they were able to read what was discussed overall.

Hynes said that based on feedback, the majority of attendees felt heard and relieved.

“I think it was really an opportunity for the community to come together on something that is unfortunately very divisive,” Smith said. “I really feel that we had a great opportunity to hear the community and the community, the attendees were very forthcoming in sharing with us both how they were feeling and their ideas.”

Smith said this event was really the first step in their ongoing efforts to address antisemitism.

“And now the next step is for us to really deliver,” Smith said.

Hynes echoed this effort.

“Because ultimately, in the end, we want to the best of our ability to alleviate any anxiety or safety concerns they may have for their children or for themselves,” Hynes said.

Hynes said he has been feeling “deeply emotional” about the issue as he listens and works with parents and students.

“This is something that is really impacting their daily, everyday lives,” Hynes said. “And we are hearing that loud and clear. And I want to do everything within my power to make this go away forever. Not just this situation, but forever.”

Hynes said it has become his mission to make sure this is done correctly and collectively.

“I have hope now that we can do that after last night,” Hynes said.