Atlanta

Students suspended, expelled for playing 'Jews vs. Nazis' beer pong

ATLANTA — Students from an Atlanta private school are facing disciplinary action after a photo posted online shows them playing a game of "Jews vs. Nazis" beer pong at an off-campus house party.

Channel 2 Action News confirmed the photo shows students of the Lovett School playing the game earlier this month.

The picture clearly shows cups filled with beer in the shape of a Jewish star on one side of the table and a Nazi swastika on the other.

TRENDING STORIES:

Five students were suspended and the student who set up the game and took the photo was expelled after Rabbi Peter Berg alerted the elite prep school's head master of the incident.

“The fact that someone could even conceive of such a game, and then play it and think it’s funny is beyond words,” Berg said.

The student who was expelled misled school officials about his role in setting up and participating in the game, which contributed to the decision to expel him, Lovett Headmaster William S. Peebles said Sunday in a letter to parents.

Lovett school leaders would not speak to us on camera but a spokesperson sent us an email saying in part:

"Character education is at the heart of all we do at Lovett, and we deeply appreciate the individuals and organizations across our community who are helping us to continue to learn and grow from this very troubling incident."

This all comes the same time the Anti-Defamation League reports a significant spike in cases of anti-Semitism in metro Atlanta and around the country.

The ADL reports an 86 percent spike in cases of antisemitism, schools included. Berg sees the Lovett School Nazi beer pong case as an opportunity.

"We as a community, as a country, have to get our hands and wrap our hands around the problem of hate speech in general, to understand how horrifying that image is to Jewish people," Berg said.