UW-Madison denounces antisemitic chalk messages that appeared around campus
Antisemitic messages were written at various spots across the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on the first day of classes, prompting an apology from frustrated administrators at the school, which has a significant Jewish population.
The chalk messages targeted student Jewish groups by labeling them “racist,” “genocidal” and “having blood on their hands.”
The messages appeared in front of several buildings on the first day of classes. This school year marks the first under new Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who is Jewish.
“To those Jewish students and others affected, we are sorry for the impact this had on your first day of class at UW,” a university statement said. “We truly strive to create a campus where every student feels they belong, and this kind of messaging harms that goal and aspiration.”
The statement — signed by Lori Reesor, the vice chancellor for student affairs, and chief diversity officer LaVar Charleston — went on to say that while the messages weren’t illegal or in violation of campus policy, they actively work against a culture of belonging.
The administrators said the messages represent free speech, which the university supports even if it “can be difficult and uncomfortable at times.”
“Just because something isn’t prohibited doesn’t make it a good idea,” they wrote. “Our expectation is that we engage across differences and discuss varying views and ideas with civility and respect, and that did not happen here.”
About 5,200 of UW-Madison students are Jewish, according to Hillel International. That puts the school sixth among public universities in terms of its Jewish population.
The messages are the latest in a series of antisemitic acts across campus.
UW-Madison last spring reported a swastika etched into a dorm bathroom stall, slurs yelled at a student and someone who said they were harassed for “looking Jewish.”
In 2020, vandals spray-painted “Free Palestine” on an entry sign for UW Hillel, the center for Jewish student life on campus.
Nationally, a recent report from the Anti-Defamation League found antisemitism on the rise, with 2021 marking an all-time high in the number of reported antisemitic incidents since the Jewish organization began tracking in 1979
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2022/09/09/antisemitic-messages-written-across-university-wisconsin-campus/8034949001/
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