Mezuzah ‘torn off’ door frame at top US college

A mezuzah was “torn off’ the door frame of a Stanford University student last week, the university’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) has said.

In a statement on its website, Stanford said the item was “torn off a door frame” last Tuesday afternoon.

Stanford’s DPS explained: “It is significant that this incident occurred on the last day of Rosh Hashanah.

“Targeting of mezuzahs is a form of intimidation and bigotry to the Jewish community. At this time the offending party(ies) is/are unknown.”

They also claimed that the event encompassed theft and vandalism and urged anyone who had evidence to come forward.

According to StopAntisemitism, which describes itself as a non-partisan US-based organisation that monitors & exposes antisemitism, Rabbi Jessica Kirschner of Stanford’s Hillel confirmed that the targeted door was in the Escondido Village Graduate Residences.

Rabbi Kirschner also said: “When proud markers of identity are taken down it is an attack on the way of thinking about what it means for all of us to belong in our particular communities. If someone did this deliberately, it’s a way of saying ‘you don’t belong here.'”

However she also assured students that, "Stanford is a great place to be Jewish, and be a Jewish student".

This comes after a slew of other antisemitic acts were reported across US campuses throughout Rosh Hashanah.

At Rutgers University in New Jersey, the home of a Jewish fraternity club was egged while at Washington DC’s American University, a ceiling was found with a swastika carved into it, while antisemitic materials were also discovered at both the University of Michigan and SUNY Oneonta.

Jewish on Campus, A group that monitors antisemitism in US Higher Education, tweeted: “Over Rosh Hashanah, four different incidents were reported 

“This was intentional.”

Over Rosh Hashanah, four different incidents were reported:

U of Michigan- antisemitic flyers distributed
Rutgers- Jewish fraternity egged… again
American- swastika etched into dorm bathroom ceiling
SUNY Oneonta- Nazi recruitment stickers posted

This was intentional.

— Jewish on Campus (@JewishonCampus_) September 28, 2022