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“It is never acceptable to make light of such acts, especially while Hamas still holds Israeli hostages’ bodies more than two years after the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust.”
By United with Israel Staff
A wave of outrage has erupted in Fairfax County, Virginia, after students from the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Langley High School in McLean and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria posted videos on social media that used kidnapping as a recruitment gimmick.
The content, widely condemned by the school district and the local Jewish community, has been described as “traumatizing” and “chilling.”
The videos, which have since been removed from social media, show students pretending to abduct classmates who refused to join the club.
In one clip from Langley High School, a student who declined was forced into a car trunk while a bag was placed over his head. The students then confronted other classmates, implying they could face a similar fate if they did not join, prompting laughter and compliance.
A similar video at Thomas Jefferson shows students placing a keffiyeh over one classmate’s head while another is put into a plastic bin and dragged away.
Fairfax County Public Schools condemned the content, emphasizing that the videos were “neither school nor division approved” and noting that such acts were deeply upsetting, particularly given the current context of global events.
The school district told ABC 7News that the videos were “traumatizing to watch, especially for our Jewish students, staff, and community.”
Officials described the actions in the videos as depicting violence, including kidnapping and hooding, with some students placed in the trunk of a car.
In a statement provided to FOX 5, FCPS said, “Acting out these types of violent acts is traumatizing for many of us to watch and, given world events, especially traumatizing to our Jewish students, staff, and community. FCPS would never consider these videos to be appropriate or acceptable content. Any students found to be violating our Student Rights and Responsibilities will be held accountable for their actions.”
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington (JCRC) spoke out strongly against the videos. CEO Guila Franklin Siegel said, “It is almost chilling to see teenagers acting out something so horrific. Fairfax County Public Schools has a long history of struggling with school-based antisemitism. We appreciate Superintendent Michelle Reid’s commitment to making FCPS a more welcoming environment for Jewish students, but the district’s slow and nontransparent response shows they must do more to address this behavior.”
Siegel pointed to the broader context, emphasizing that the videos were especially callous given ongoing Hamas atrocities. “It is never appropriate to make light of such horrific acts, but it is especially cruel when Hamas continues to hold the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages more than two years after committing the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. The trauma that families impacted by the Israel-Hamas war have endured remains fresh.”
The JCRC has been in close contact with FCPS leadership, demanding accountability and stressing the need for transparency.
Siegel said the district must determine whether school conduct codes were violated and take appropriate action, including legal measures if necessary, to prevent school names and logos from appearing on unauthorized social media accounts. She called for a clear message to all students that such behavior is unacceptable.
“These videos show why schools must do more to teach empathy and understanding in every student’s experience,” Siegel said. “As one of the largest and most diverse school systems in the country, FCPS should be a leader in ensuring respect for all communities and combating antisemitism.”
The videos have sparked a broader conversation about the responsibility of schools to address antisemitic behavior, particularly during a time when Hamas continues to commit violent acts against Israelis.
For many in the Jewish community, the actions of the students were not just offensive but a reminder of the real-world threat that continues to target Jews worldwide.
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