The domino effect of antisemitism
By Lexie Cooper
Miami University journalism student
Antisemitism can be a familiar enemy to many Jewish students across any college campus.
The Brandeis University Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies is a resource and research center that focuses on the life of Jewish college students as well as studies contemporary Jewish life.
According to a study by the center, in the first half of 2016, the AMCHA Initiative reported that 57% of the 113 U.S. schools with the largest populations of Jewish undergraduates experienced antisemitic incidents. That included the targeting of Jewish students for harm and antisemitic expression.
Miami University students have been a part of this statistic.
Late in the night of Oct. 15, three male college students were captured on video trespassing on the property of the Hillel Foundation at Miami University. Once over the fence, they proceeded to topple a sukkah, destroying the inside. The video showed them fleeing the scene immediately after.
A sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the Jewish holiday Sukkot. Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holiday that comes five days after Yom Kippur, which celebrates the gathering of the new harvest. During that seven-day period, the majority of it would be spent inside the sukkah. The Sukkot of 2022 started on Oct. 9 and ended on Oct. 16.
According to Fox19Now News, the three men turned themselves in to the Oxford Police Department claiming responsibility. Each was charged with felony vandalism and later pleaded guilty to an amended misdemeanor vandalism charge. They were then each required to pay a $750 fine with an added $1,099 charge split between them to pay for the damage to the sukkah.
Even though Oxford police determined there was no religious intent behind the attack, President of the Hillel Foundation Lauren Somers said it was hard watching that video and seeing vandalism at such a special and sacred place.
“No matter the intention that went into it, it was heartbreaking to see people disregard religious objects like that without any acknowledge of their background and their importance,” Somers said. “But what we as Hillel took away from the event was just the gratitude for the support we got from the community.”
A college campus can be one of the most exciting places for a student to be or it can be someone’s worst nightmare.
A recent study by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) showed that between 2016 and 2018 college campuses saw an 88% increase in antisemitic incidents.
“In 2018, there were 201 reported anti-Semitic incidents on American university and college campuses, a decrease of 1% from 204 reported incidents in 2017, but still 86% higher than the 108 reported incidents on college and university campuses in 2016.”
Experiencing a traumatic incident at a place someone might call home can shake them to their core. But, having two? That can ruin what home you have left.
Not even a month after the Hillel Foundation at Miami University experienced vandalism in the middle of the night, swastikas and antisemitic posters were found in the third-floor bathroom of the psychology building just down the street.
“I think that these acts are extremely damaging because it makes students feel unsafe and it encourages that act of hate where you see these symbols and think it’s just a snowball effect of hate and kind of inspired others to spread that hate,” Somers said. “I think that’s really troubling and that’s what’s setting back the progress we’re making towards fighting antisemitism.”
The university released a statement on MyMiami, its internal communication space, explaining that any form of antisemitism is unacceptable and that there is more work to be done to address antisemitism.
The swastika has been known worldwide as a hate symbol for Jewish people since World War II. But, the name originated from Sanskrit svastika which means “good fortune” or “well-being.”
A symbol meant for good luck was transformed into one of hate.
The AMCHA Initiative monitors antisemitism at colleges and universities. Since 2015, it’s been tracking the appearance of swastikas on campuses.
It’s found 57 reports since the beginning of 2022, with the incidents taking place at campuses around the United States.
In 2018, one was found painted inside a tunnel at the University of Illinois.
University of Illinois Chabad Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel said the incident was shocking and disgusting and took a toll on the entire community.
“…it is particularly concerning that on a campus as wonderful as ours, this can be happening,” Tiechtel said in a Sun Sentinel news report. “We invite all of the administration, faculty, students, and the entire [community] to join the ceremony and stand with us in support of the Jewish community, against antisemitism and hatred.”
This year, in addition to the incident at Miami, swastikas and pro-Nazi imagery were found in a building on Ohio State University’s campus.
At the University of Wisconsin, someone dressed up like Adolf Hitler around Halloween, wearing a swastika armband as part of the costume.
A Black student was targeted at Indiana University by floormates in her residence hall. The student said they would make repeated references to Hitler and Nazi Germany and tore up Hillel flyers with the Star of David on them. She eventually moved to a different dorm.
The first incident of 2022 happened at CUNY Queens College where someone carved “KKK LIVES” into a public bulletin board in a campus building.
College can be the four years where you go to establish yourself and find the best people you can surround yourself with.
But, it’s also when you can be the most impressionable, with researchers suggesting that media representations and influential figures — such as celebrities and politicians — can shape how young adults understand the world.
One such figure is rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye). He’s been in the news a lot recently for antisemitic comments he’s made.
Ye promoted tropes about Jewish power and control as well as tropes about Jewish greed, feeding into old antisemitic narratives about Jewish people exploiting and intimidating others for financial gain.
This type of ideology is harmful to Jewish people and their communication by public figures can perpetuate stereotypes. Somers adds that the situation with Kanye has negative impacts on Jewish people.
“Being so prevalent in pop culture I think so many people look up to Kanye and this hatred has just these effects that people see this hatred and either they believe it themselves or they may just continue on with this hatred,” Somers said. “The more hate there is in the world the more it spreads and I think people with the bigger audiences, it only spreads more.”
Just recently in an interview with far-right radio host Alex Jones, West said on the air, “I like Hitler.”
“I love Jewish people,” he said, “but I also love Nazis.”
With the recent rise in anti-Jewish hate on college campuses and in social media, Jewish community organizations are working to address the issue.
The Campus Climate Initiative (CCI) is a Hillel Foundation program that strives to build awareness of antisemitism on college campuses, as well as provide support to its victims.
CUNY is a part of the 12 campuses included in the CCI expansion from Hillel. Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez pledged his support for the foundation and the initiative, explaining more needs to be done to combat bigotry.
“I’m proud of our growing partnership with Hillel International and grateful that the organization selected our campuses for their Campus Climate Initiative, which works to end antisemitism and build safe learning environments in which all students can thrive, regardless of race or religion.”
Back in Oxford, the Jewish community was supported as it navigated the fallout from the destruction of the sukkah.
Even though the Hillel Foundation at Miami never got to finish the high holiday of Sukkot, Somers expressed gratitude for the support offered the Miami Jewish community during the Shabbat of Love and Honor.
“Our Shabbat of Love and Honor had over 150 attendees which was huge for us,” Somers said. “So many campus organizations and Miami faculty came to support us and showed allyship and that’s what we really took away from that.”
