Three Jewish students at the University of Denver Colorado (UD) suffered a series of antisemitic incidents, including someone placing pork outside of a Jewish student’s dorm and Mezuzahs being torn down, prompting the school to begin an investigation, according to a Monday email from university officials.
StandWithUs (SWU), an antisemitism watchdog organization, first reported the incidents Tuesday, showing pictures of a pork package outside of a student’s dorm room and multiple flyers that had been torn off the student’s door. The university announced in an email obtained by SWU that it was investigating three Jewish students’ reports of vandalism and religious harassment between Feb. 9 and Feb. 12. (RELATED: Pro-Palestine Group Chants For ‘Intifada Revolution’ At Historically Jewish University)
“As some of you may have heard, early last Thursday, a Johnson-MacFarlane resident’s door was vandalized; and yesterday evening, two residents from the Nagel Hall reported that their doors were vandalized and religious items were removed over the weekend,” UD’s Vice Chancellor Tom Adams said in the email. “The University has provided a range of supports to directly affected students and continues to investigate these incidents.”
While the university’s email did not provide details of the incidents, SWU explained in its press release that a Jewish mezuzah, a sacred scroll attached to the doors of Jewish homes, had been torn off two doors, in addition to the flyers, and in a separate incident the pork package was left outside another door. Pork is one of many foods considered not Kosher, or unclean, by Jews.
UD students were directed to report any information about vandalism to UD’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX, according to the email.
Jon Stone, a spokesperson for UD, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the university was handling the situation and condemned the incidents.
“We want to be very clear that these acts are NOT acceptable within DU’s community, and acknowledge the harm that has been caused to members of our community,” Stone said. “Every student, faculty, and staff member deserves a place to live, learn, and work that is respectful, welcoming, and safe. Each of us shares the responsibility to foster that environment through our actions.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: A yeshiva school bus drives through Borough Park on September 12, 2022, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
SWU thanked UD for “launching a full and prompt investigation” and asked that the school hold the individuals responsible “accountable to the fullest extent.”
A recent report from the American Jewish Committee found that one out of four Jews experienced antisemitism in 2022 and 21% of young Jews indicated that they hide their Jewish identity on college campuses out of fear of harassment or assault.
“As a daughter of Holocaust survivors, I am shocked and horrified by the religious nature of these antisemitic assaults taking place in 2023,” Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, said in SWU’s press release. “It is no coincidence that the rise in anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish rhetoric and campaigns on campus have contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish students. University administrators must recognize this problem and address antisemitism on their campuses swiftly and seriously.”
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