Antisemitic graffiti in Brooklyn. Photo: Yeshiva World News.
Jewish human rights group the Anti-Defamation League on Tuesday said there is no evidence that a string of antisemitic attacks on Boston area campuses are connected to each other.
There is “no indication right now that these things are related” Robert Terestan, the ADL’s Boston regional director, told The Algemeiner. But, he added, “the impact on Jewish students is the same in each place.”
The spate began on March 29th when swastikas were found spray painted on several cars at a fraternity house at Tufts University campus on Packard Avenue. It was the fourth antisemitic incident at the university in less than two years.
A day later, a swastika was found drawn on a dry-erase board in the common space of the International Village dorm of Northeastern University. President Joseph Aoun called the incident a hateful act of antisemitism.
Northeastern dealt with a similar incident in November when swastikas were drawn on fliers publicizing a lecture by an Israeli military official, the Associated Press reported.
Then, on Sunday April 2nd, barely 20 miles away, on the campus of Framingham State University, a student reported finding a swastika carved into his vehicle. The incident was at least the second time this school year that a swastika has been found on the campus, the local WCVB TV reported.
“It is an indication of what Jewish students are facing on campuses across the country,” Terestan said. “The concern is that anti-Israel sentiment is leading to this type of antisemitic activity.”
Terestan also praised the schools and said “we are lucky that the leadership at these schools are standing firm in saying that this behavior is unacceptable, and that is a message that everybody needs to hear.”
Recent studies have shown that antisemitic activity is increasing considerably on campuses across the United States and around the world.
In February, the National Demographic Survey of American Jewish College Students–jointly conducted by Trinity College and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB)–found that among 1,157 self-identified Jewish students at 55 campuses nationwide, 54 percent reported instances of antisemitism on campus during the first six months of the 2013-2014 academic year.
Source:: The Algemeiner
