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Chapel Hill High School officials are investigating after a person identifying himself as the leader of a national hate group shared antisemitic content during a Google Meet virtual meeting Wednesday.
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Chapel Hill High Principal Patrick Greene addressed the “deeply disturbing incident” in an email Thursday evening to staff and families.
The unidentified person disrupted the meeting with families of the school’s senior class, sharing “antisemitic and hateful content,” Greene said. The person was removed from the meeting after about 90 seconds, he said, but it was still “shocking and upsetting to those of us who were in attendance.”
“There is no place for antisemitism, hate or harassment in any school community,” Greene said. “We unequivocally condemn this behavior and stand with our Jewish students, families, staff and community members who were targeted or affected by what occurred.”
District spokesman Andy Jenks said the link to the online meeting was posted on Chapel Hill High School’s Facebook page and did not require attendees to register. The meeting was held to talk about colleges, scholarships and other issues related to the senior class, he said.
The person identified himself as “Jon Minadeo II, leader of the Goyim Defense League,” Jenks said.
Greene said the incident was especially damaging, because it occurred between the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — times of celebration and atonement in the Jewish faith.
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The Anti-Defamation League identifies the Goyim Defense League as “a loose network of individuals who promote vitriolic antisemitism and white supremacist themes through online activity, propaganda distributions, and real-world actions.”
The group’s goal is removing Jews from the United States, and it is active in multiple states, the ADL reports. In 2024, Ariel Ramos, owner of the GDL-affiliated Patriot Candle Co., was charged in High Point, North Carolina, with threatening communications after he allegedly sent antisemitic postcards to Jewish groups and public officials.
“Goyim” is a disparaging Yiddish and Hebrew word for non-Jews, the ADL states.
The school is reviewing what happened and working to add more security to virtual meetings, Greene said. The incident has also been reported to the school resource officer and other district officials, Jenks said.
“Schools must be places where every person feels safe and welcome. Hateful actions will not define our community,” Greene said.
Greene said anyone with information about the incident or who needs support can reach out to him at [email protected].
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This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 8:17 PM.