At University of California, Davis there were antisemitic banners and flyers that had been placed on the bicycle overhead pass and around the campus. The banners were placed by four white men in black clothing and masks.

Granite Bay High School, because the college is 36 miles away from it. Do staff and other students feel like this may affect the school?

“It’s heartbreaking that we live in (this) society. You know, we’re supposed to be American. We’re supposed to be the most enlightened country in the world, right? So we say we say that about ourselves and yet, we don’t act that way. It’s sad to me. It’s very sad. Now, is this all Americans? No. But it faces the news and this is what the world sees. Unfortunately, this is what this is, what we have to do is we have to pay attention to this and it is what we have to reckon with,” David Tastor, a world religions teacher at GBHS said.

“(I’m) disgusted to be honest and angered that people are still this stupid and ignorant,” Tastor said. “Those are stupid, ignorant people who have got their hole in the ground and are not aware of the world that they live in.” 

Ryan Weltsch, a Jewish sophomore at GBHS, saw a different perspective growing up than most people and sees her Jewish heritage as a big part of her life. 

“My family, we celebrate holidays and we do routines every Friday for Shabbat. It’s a pretty big part of me, because I’ve been doing it my whole life,” Weltsch said, “When I was little, I went to a good Jewish Day School. I was around a ton of other Jewish communities and I would go to temple. So, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Just I wouldn’t really meet any of the Jewish kids, especially when moving up here, from where I used to live. There’s way less of a huge community here.”

Weltsch does see the UC Davis hate-incidents as a problem for GBHS if it continues on, and does not get corrected.

“I think it depends on what the outcome of what happens at Davis like, if it’s continued there more often, then I think maybe kids here will be more confident to do so,” Weltsch said.

Claire Warrens, a senior at GBHS, who strives to go to UC Davis, also sees this dilemma as a big problem for both schools.

“Honestly, I didn’t think that would happen. It’s a little scary, considering I want to go there, and my sister went there, and that stuff happens on campus. I’d hope it’s not a repeating incident…My brother in law and a lot of people I’m close with are Jewish, and we celebrate that culture. It’s kind of scary to see that still happening in modern day and so close to us,” Warren said.

Warrens also believes that GBHS does have a problem with hate-incidents in the past, and possibly in the future.

“There’s been a history of hate-crimes at Granite Bay, I haven’t heard of that many antisemitic ones, but I know anti-LGBTQ and hate-crimes with racism motivated. I hate to say it, but I feel like an antisemitic hate-crime wouldn’t be that far off,” Warrens said, “(It) definitely, doesn’t feel like a safe place all the time.”

Updated: Oct. 5