Swastikas Found on Hofstra Campus For Third Consecutive Year
BY: URVI GANDHI
(Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect that the swastika outside the Nassau-Suffolk dorm was drawn in black marker, not spray-paint as originally reported.)
(Oct. 25, 2021) — Two swastikas were found drawn in dirt on the wall of a Hofstra dorm on Oct. 18, making it the latest in a string of similar incidents.
The Hofstra Clocktower broke the story on Twitter and notified Hofstra Public Safety officials.
This is the third year in a row that such imagery has been found on Hofstra’s campus, The Clocktower’s reporting found. The first was a swastika drawn in black marker outside the Nassau-Suffolk dorms in 2019. Then, two swastikas were carved into the elevators of Constitution Hall -- the same dorm as the most recent incidents -- in September and October of 2020, shortly after the Jewish High Holy Days.
“Public safety is reviewing all video and digital assets that might yield some information,” said Karla Schuster, the Assistant Vice President of University Relations at Hofstra. No further information about the responsible party has been released at this time, nor was the university able to say whether the two recent finds were connected to past ones.
However, Schuster added that Hofstra Public Safety has been coordinating with the Nassau County Police Department on an active and ongoing investigation. Under New York State law, anyone who “etches, paints, draws upon or otherwise places a swastika[...] in public view” can be charged with aggravated harassment in the first degree. The charge is punishable by up to four years in prison.
James Skopek, the Public Safety Associate Director of Operations, declined to comment due to the ongoing and active nature of the investigation. The Nassau County Police also declined immediate requests for comment.
On Oct. 21, Hofstra University President Susan Poser sent out an email to the student body condemning hateful rhetoric, co-signed by Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Cornell Craig. “Hofstra denounces anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination and hate and we stand with out Jewish community members,” the email said. “We continue to hold steadfast in cultivating and supporting a diverse and inclusive learning community.”
In a 2020 interview from The Clocktower, then-Director of Public Safety Karen O’Callaghan called the findings “a pattern” after two swastikas were found carved into Constitution Hall elevators mere weeks apart, along with the phrase “Bibi” -- a nickname for the former Israeli president.
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo sent a Hate Crime Task Force to the university to investigate the situations at the time but they were unable to identify the responsible party, in part because dorm halls lack security cameras with the exception of the entrances and lobby.
Meanwhile, Jewish students and employees have spoken out against the hateful acts. “As a Jewish student and leader in the community, it concerns me to see anti-Semitism or hate in any form on campus,” said senior RJ Yovanovich, who serves as the Hofstra Hillel president and lives in Constitution Hall. “I appreciate the measures Hofstra University has taken to address this matter and make students feel safe.”
“Although I am proud of what we have accomplished in recent years, it is clear we need to increase the educational opportunities regarding the Holocaust on campus,” added Rabbi Dave Siegel, the Executive Director of Hofstra Hillel. “These symbols are extremely painful to our Jewish students and represent horrific acts that we must ensure never happen again.”
