Dear Friend of Queens Hillel,
I’m writing to you today with deep concern and dismay that I must address the recent antisemitic graffiti found in buildings across Queens College. The vandalism threatens the safety of Jews with messages like "You better start hiding, Jews," "Israelis, I'm coming after you," “Hitler, please come back. Teach Jews a lesson.”
Regrettably, this is not the first time our Jewish community at Queens College has faced such threats. We have been warning college leaders for weeks about the escalating antisemitic incidents, emphasizing that if left unchecked, this dangerous trend would persist.
We are calling on Queen College’s leadership to unequivocally condemn this vile act of hatred and call it what it is - antisemitism.
Simply put: to fight antisemitism, you must be able to name antisemitism, which President Wu did not do in his statement today.
Additionally, the administration must take immediate steps to enforce the school’s conduct code to prevent antisemitic vandalism and punish the perpetrators. We are pleased to hear that the NYPD are investigating this as a hate crime.
Antisemitism has no place on our campus or in any society, and we must stand together to combat it in all its forms.
To our students, we see you, and we hear you, and we will do everything we can to support and protect you. If you need to speak with a licensed social worker, please reach out to Em, our Director of Wellness, at wellnessem@qchillel.org. You can also always reach out to me.
We at Queens Hillel are focused on keeping Jewish students safe and supporting them as they express their Jewish identities - which they should be able to do without fear of harassment or threats. We are resilient in the face of these threats and are continuing to provide a place to celebrate Jewish life.
Thank you,
Jenna Citron Schwab
Executive Director
