Pupils at a £45,000-a-year school were pictured giving Nazi salutes while watching a play about Adolf Hitler.
The group of pupils from the prestigious Millfield School could be seen sat in the audience as they gave the despicable salute in a row while watching the one-man play by actor Pip Utton, who took to the stage in a brown, swastika emblazoned uniform.
One Jewish father told the JC that he and other parents 'felt sick' when they saw the photos, and was particularly upset that the play had been staged on the eve of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur in September.
The play was billed as an 'educational exploration' of Hitler's fascism and was shown in September on the eve of Yom Kippur.
One father, who spoke anonymously, told the Jewish Chronicle, who obtained the images, said: "What on earth were the teachers thinking? It would not be appropriate to give this kind of play the green light for school children at any time, least of all on the eve of Yom Kippur.
"The school must have known of the content and if not, it should have. There is no excuse for this disgraceful error of judgment."
Another parent also said the school had initially failed to offer an apology or an explanation for why the play was shown hours before one of the Holiest and most sombre days in the Jewish calendar.
The parent claimed staff were more concerned about avoiding a public scandal, adding: "The school's sole concern seemed to be a looming scandal, so it tried to destroy the evidence. I am absolutely appalled."
Millfield School, in Somerset, is an elite public school favoured by celebrity families from across the world.
Head teacher Gavin Horgan admitted the play should not have been shown and told the Jewish Chronicle in a statement: "We should not have staged this play.
"We are sorry for the hurt that has been caused and we have changed our approach to vetting performances so that this will never happen again."
Actor Pip Utton said the school could have chosen to air the play on a different date, but admitted that the pupils were laughing in the audience.
He told the Jewish Chronicle: "Perhaps the school should have also have been more sensitive and found another date,' he told the JC.
"I was in no way attempting to glorify that horrible, horrible salute. The point was to show how people can be manipulated and how easy it is. Believe me, it is shocking for me to see it happen.
"They got the fact that it was kind of a joke because they were laughing about it."
