The Holocaust Education Resource Council (HERC) is deeply disturbed and saddened by an Instagram post depicting a Leon High School student dressed in a Nazi costume for Halloween. This is not the only time a Leon County high school student has posted Nazi symbolism on Instagram: Two weeks ago, at another Leon County high school, students posted antisemitic and pro-Nazi symbolism on a separate account. These acts are a painful reminder of the ignorance, hate, and indifference that allowed one of the darkest chapters in human history to occur.
Symbols of Nazism represent genocide, antisemitism, and the extermination of six million Jews and millions of others. Wearing a Nazi costume trivializes those atrocities and causes lasting damage to Holocaust survivors, their families, and our community as a whole.
This incident underscores an urgent truth: Holocaust education is not optional — it is essential. Every student in Leon County deserves to understand the consequences of hate, intolerance, and silence. Learning the lessons of the Holocaust helps students recognize where prejudice begins and how easily it can escalate when left unchecked. HERC’s mission is to provide these lessons.
We bring age-appropriate programs, survivor testimonies, and interactive presentations into schools across North Florida to ensure that our students not only learn the history of the Holocaust but also understand its moral imperatives.
We call on Leon County Schools to invite HERC into every middle and high school classroom to teach about the Holocaust, antisemitism, and the importance of standing up to hate in all its forms. Education is the most powerful tool we have to prevent such incidents from happening again.
HERC stands ready to work with teachers, administrators, parents, and students to ensure that this moment becomes a turning point — from ignorance to understanding, from indifference to action.
For more information about HERC’s educational programs or to request a presentation, please explore our website.