A swastika, a symbol most notoriously associated with the Nazi Party, the Holocaust, and in more recent years, neo-Nazism, was found carved into a windowsill in the second-floor girls’ bathroom, along with minor graffiti drawn with a permanent marker in the grout of the floor.
The swastika is an ancient symbol rooted in Hindu religion, but Adolf Hitler’s 1920 appropriation of the sign into the Nazi flag has made it synonymous with a continuing legacy of violence, hate, anti-semitism, and overall bigotry. The discovery of the swastika has prompted discussions about inclusivity, affirming the school’s Quaker values, and confronting bigotry — all while the perpetrator remains unknown.
For many in the MFS community, the incident came as a shock, with reactions ranging from outrage to sorrow.
Ethan Cohen ’26, co-facilitator of the Jewish Student Union (JSU), described the graffiti as “the most extreme level of anti-Semitism that I’ve seen at the school.”
While he acknowledged that insensitive jokes or comments sometimes occur, Cohen emphasized that this act stood apart as explicit in its nature.
“This is the first time that I’ve heard or seen an incident where someone explicitly wrote something on a … public space in the school,” he said. “[It’s] just a message with such hate, [and] I haven’t seen anything to that level in my time at MFS.”
Cohen shared that during JSU meetings, affinity group members have also expressed frustration that the wider school community was not informed about the incident, as news within the affinity about the swastika spread even before an announcement was made. “I think people in the community, and particularly the Jewish community [at MFS], are just mad that more people don’t know about it, and think it should be brought to public attention,” he said. “When something this serious happens that affects a community at MFS, it should be addressed.”
However, Cohen was careful to note, “I don’t want to say [the administration has] done a bad job yet because they’ve been investigating, so maybe they [are] taking the time to gather the facts.”
The incident was addressed by Middle School Dean of Students Max Bogaert to the Middle School, and Upper School Director Noah Rachlin during an Upper School Community Time. A subsequent email was sent to parents, stating that “a small swastika was found scratched into the trim of a window inside a stall.”
Bogaert specifically acknowledged that the administration’s response, and current efforts to find the perpetrator, were being held up by a need to gather information.
“It’s hard to put a timeline on things like this, [but know that the administration is] using all the resources we have, whether it’s the camera in the hallway [or] what we hear from students. We’re gonna keep looking into it because it’s important that whoever did that understands that that does not match the values of our community and [their actions] created significant harm,” he said.
Bogaert also said that there is no conclusive evidence indicating whether or not the culprit was an Upper or Middle Schooler, and emphasized that “this [incident with the] swastika is not a trend of anything,” and that he found the incident “completely out of nowhere.”
While the school continues its efforts to identify the individual(s) responsible, Bogaert reaffirmed the school’s commitment to fostering an environment of inclusivity.
“Everyone [should] feel like they belong, and acts of hate like this do diminish that belonging … overall, it’s just [really] sad … and disappointing … [for the community].”
Bogaert also made it clear that general incidents of reported misbehavior in the Middle School were on a “decrease,” as the Middle School has had fewer incidents than in previous years, according to Bogaert. Bogaert explained the trend, stating that the number of said general incidents before he arrived “was very high.”
The incident has also led to conversations about the broader culture at MFS and how the school can better educate students about historical hate symbols.
Upper School Diversity Clerk Miles Wilkins ’25 echoed Cohen and Bogaert’s sense of disbelief, stating that “everyone finds this situation messed up and out of character from a member of our community, not just the Upper School community, but from the Middle School community.” He continued, “It’s disheartening … [that] symbol just represents so much hatred.”
Wilkins also highlighted the importance of community support following the aftermath of the incident.
“I never thought that this would come across at our school, at a community like MFS, but I’m glad [that] everyone is being supportive of others and each other throughout this situation.”
Wilkins elaborated, “[There are] people who have real concerns [about hate at MFS] and feel like they need to talk to someone [about it], [which] I know … [because] I see them going out to talk to people, and [I appreciate] that sense of community. I’m not saying that the situation has brought us together, but it’s nice to see that [we] come together while facing situations such as [this].”
Regarding future actions following the incident, Wilkins said he hopes to “strengthen our leaders [to] empower and spread awareness of … identifiers throughout the community, [so] that people will show appreciation [for them].” He continued, “We’ve learned through certain events that culture can be shown and more appreciated once you get to understand it.”
Wilkins gave an example of this strategy. “We recently had Muslim Student Union present for Muslim American Heritage Month in Diversity [Committee], and then the East Asian affinity group presented for Lunar New Year.”
Morgan Krasner `27, a Jewish student at MFS, had additional comments regarding the future steps and actions to be taken, saying “I hope moving forward my teachers and administrators will educate kids on the severity of the subject so incidents like this will never happen again.”
While further actions are yet to be taken, Bogaert emphasized that “this is the antithesis of who we are as a Friends School and just the kind of community that we want to be.”
