Anti-Semitic Carvings Found In Hofstra Dorm During Jewish Holidays
By: Sarah Emily Baum and Leo Brine
(Editor’s Note: This version of the article has been updated post-publication to include the testimony of Melissa Braunstein, a secondary witness to some of the events described below. The story was also updated to reflect that the swastika found at Nassau-Suffolk was drawn in black marker and not spray-paint as originally reported. )
(Oct. 9, 2020) — A swastika was found carved into an elevator of Constitution Hall on Saturday, Oct. 3. Above the symbol was the word “Bibi” -- a common nickname for the Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu.
This is the second time hate symbols have been found inside the residence hall since the start of the Fall 2020 semester. Another swastika was found in an elevator on Sept. 14, during the week of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah.
The Hofstra Clocktower broke the story on Twitter and notified university officials. Subsequently, Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowtiz sent an email to the student body condemning hate speech and announcing an investigation into the incidents. “There is no place for anti-Semitism or any other form of discrimination at Hofstra University,” he said in the email. “Now more than ever, we must stand together against intolerance, bigotry and hate.”
On Oct. 9, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state’s Hate Crime Task Force would be assisting the Department of Public Safety in their investigation. Around the same time in 2019, a swastika had been found drawn in black marker outside the Nassau-Suffolk dormitory. “This is now a pattern,” said Karen O’Callaghan, Hofstra’s Director of Public Safety. She told The Clocktower that DPS will be bolstering patrols around the Jewish high holidays going forward.
O’Callaghan also cited the lack of security cameras in those spaces as a hindrance to finding the perpetrator. Cameras are located at entrances and exits of dorms but not in hallways and elevators. “We had discussions about installing them, but we didn’t think the student body would support it,” she told The Clocktower. “The dorms are your home and you deserve privacy.”
Leilah Abelman, a Jewish student and Hofstra senior, said she isn’t surprised by the find. “I don’t think Hofstra is any more anti-Semitic than any other college, but I do think colleges at-large are becoming more extreme in their anti-Semitism,” she told The Clocktower. Last year, Abdelman penned a viral op-ed in The Hofstra Chronicle which was picked up by international press. Earlier this semester, Abelman’s virtual class had been Zoombombed by multiple individuals spouting racist slurs -- and when they realized it was a Jewish Studies course they infiltrated, the vitriol turned towards Jews.
“Anti-Semitism does not exist in a vacuum, it comes with multiple other variables including racism, sexism, Islamophobia, and other forms of discrimination,” said junior Melissa Braunstein, another witness to the Zoombombing. “This should be a time where the student body comes together in solidarity, and as a Jewish student I do not believe that this is solely a problem for Jewish students. There is an inherent connection between all forms of hate.”
The professor of that class is the chair of the Jewish Studies program at Hofstra, Dr. Santiago Slabodsky, who commended the university’s rapid response to the situation and emphasized the diverse experiences of Jewish Hofstra students. The identities of the Zoombombers, including whether or not they are Hofstra students, are uncertain at this time.
Federal law under the Clery Act requires institutions of higher education to disclose campus crime statistics, including hate crimes, in a yearly report. Through 2016-2018, Hofstra reported zero hate crimes on campus. The 2019 safety report has not yet been released and the deadline is at the end of this year.
However, O’Callaghan added that incidents like these likely won’t be included in the data due to the stringent definitions of a reportable hate crime set forth by the Clery Act. The federal handbook for reporting even addresses a nearly identical hypothetical in which it concludes this scenario fails to meet the criteria for a hate crime.
Administration will instead be amending university policy to ensure that situations such as this are internally documented as “motivated by bias.” Should a student encounter anything else that may violate hate crime laws or university conduct policies, O’Callaghan encourages concerned parties to email the DPS with documentation, if available, or call their emergency line with any immediate concerns.
“We’ve worked closely with the Department of Public Safety and the Division of Student Affairs to address these issues,” said Hofstra Hillel’s Rabbi Dave Siegel. “I know there is hate in this world. We must be aware and report it to the proper officials if we see it.”
