{"id":12696,"date":"2026-06-05T19:59:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=12696"},"modified":"2026-06-05T19:59:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:59:25","slug":"harvard-westlake-water-polo-sex-attack-scandal-include-allegations-of-antisemitism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=12696","title":{"rendered":"Harvard-Westlake water polo sex attack scandal include allegations of antisemitism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Harvard-Westlake water polo player who was accused of racism and sexual assault by a star teammate allegedly told a Jewish peer to \u201cdie in an oven,\u201d according to stunning new court documents.<\/p>\n<p>The star teammate, Aidan Romain, revised his lawsuit Thursday against the alleged bigot, Lucca van der Woude, to include the shocking new allegations.<\/p>\n<p>He claimed that an unnamed witness told his attorney, Daniel Watkins, that Van der Woude \u201chad a history of making antisemitic remarks while interacting with peers online and in person\u201d and that he \u201creferred to a Jewish peer using antisemitic slurs and stated words to the effect of: \u2018You stupid Jew, die in the oven.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The revised suit also dives into other damning allegations against Van der Woude.<\/p>\n<p>The same unidentified witness, later identified as mother Hilary Ketchum by Vanity Fair, said the disgraced polo player \u201cfrequently glorified sexual violence against women, made repeated comments referencing rape, regularly used racial slurs, and made offensive comments concerning slavery and racial domination.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> <span class=\"credit\">LinkedIn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/@aidanromain<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A text message from Lucca apologizing, \u201cI want to apologize for everything that\u2019s happened. Most of the issues have been my fault and I\u2019m sorry. I know it hurts the team and I\u2019m very sorry for that. I promise to be better moving forward.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">CA Superior Court LA County<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Van der Woude \u201cexpressed racist, antisemitic, and white-nationalist beliefs during the period in which he sexually and physically abused Plaintiff and other students,\u201d according to Vanity Fair.<\/p>\n<p>Watkins believed the lawsuit needed to be revised because of the similarities between white nationalism and sexual violence. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhite nationalism and sexual violence come from the same belief: that some people exist to be dominated by others. That is what makes these accounts so troubling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Other allegations detail how Van der Woude and a teammate whipped Romain with a rope in the school weight room \u201cas if he were a slave\u201d while telling him to \u201cget back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also accusations that Van der Woude, while playing Minecraft with Ketchum\u2019s son in 2020, used the N-word, made antisemitic remarks, and was heard \u00a0\u201cmaking jokes about women and rape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ketchum and a different parent later requested a Zoom meeting to discuss \u201cslurs that none of us want our kids to be hearing, let alone saying.\u201d A woman with the name of \u201cNilda Van Der Woude,\u201d the name of Van der Woude\u2019s mother, thanked them for the meeting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you for organizing this. It is a wonderful idea and much needed. We will attend,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Water polo players, Lucca van der Woude (in the water, circled in red) and Aidan Romain (standing, circled in red). Romain (standing) was allegedly subjected to racial slurs and sexual assault spearheaded by Van Der Woude. <span class=\"credit\">Obtained by the CA Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>An aerial view of Harvard-Westlake School\u2019s Coldwater Canyon campus. <span class=\"credit\">MediaNews Group via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ketchum said she discussed the Holocaust, white privilege, and sexism along with warning the boys that they would not be allowed to play Minecraft together if they continued saying the slurs.<\/p>\n<p>Van der Woude allegedly didn\u2019t heed the advice, and went harder with the slurs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Van der Woude] went not just right back at it, but worse,\u201d she said. \u201cHe just kept doing it, and he was laughing, and [the kids] all just stopped playing with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The accused water polo player denies all of the accusations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLucca van der Woude categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation made against him,\u201d Van der Woude\u2019s attorney Keith G. Bremer said in a statement to\u00a0Vanity Fair. \u201cThese claims are false. Lucca has conducted himself with integrity throughout his academic and athletic career, and he will not allow false accusations to define him now and\/or in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new accusations go along with the allegations that Van der Woude sexually assaulted Romain.<\/p>\n<p>Romain said in one instance that while he was eggbeating water, he felt someone grab his buttocks and insert a finger. He looked back and saw Van der Woude.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was like, \u2018Why did you do that? What are you doing?\u2019\u201d Aidan said. \u201cHe just laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also Van der Woude \u201cconstantly dehumanized\u201d him and used the slur regularly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey weren\u2019t trying to hide it,\u201d Aidan said. \u201cWhen the lights would turn off, they would say, \u2018Where\u2019s Aidan?\u2019 or \u2018Where\u2019s arbitrary black person?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He described the atmosphere as relentless and overtly racist. \u201cIt was just straight,\u00a0blatant racism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The elite Harvard-Westlake school has downplayed allegations that the school allowed the conduct to happen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany of you have likely seen recent newspaper and magazine articles describing a lawsuit,\u201d the school\u2019s president said in a recent email to parents, according to Vanity Fair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause this pertains to a pending legal matter, we are limited in what we can say, but we want to be clear about the following: the school unequivocally disputes many of these allegations that mischaracterize facts and the school\u2019s actions. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe school treated reports of inappropriate behavior in the water polo program with urgency and seriousness, promptly initiating an investigation and complying with its mandatory reporting obligations. The school also cooperated completely with law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever you might read or hear,\u201d the email continued, \u201cI ask that you place it in the context of what you already know about our school and your child\u2019s experience. I ask that you measure these allegations against your own experience of this community and the values that guide our work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harvard-Westlake, along with Van der Woude, have filed motions in court challenging aspects of Romain\u2019s lawsuit. The school say their president, Rick Commons, was not told Romain was suffering from racial abuse, discrimination, and sexual assault, and therefore is not responsible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Van der Woude has moved to strike dozens of the allegations, arguing they were based on confidential juvenile court or educational records.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>California Post News<\/strong>: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn<br \/><strong>California Post Sports<\/strong> Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X<br \/><strong>California Post  <\/strong>Opinion <br \/><strong>California Post Newsletters<\/strong>: Sign up here!<br \/><strong>California Post App<\/strong>: Download here!<br 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