February 14th, '05
Vandalism Back Home

I recently returned from a short visit to the United States. It was not a happy occasion -- I arrived just in time for my grandmother's funeral -- but despite the circumstances, I was glad to have the opportunity to see the relatives and friends that gathered at my parents' home.

As I shared news of life in Israel, I heard a bit of local news that raised a red flag in my mind. According to my cousin, Mary Markley Residence Hall, the identified "Jewish" dorm at the University of Michigan, was recently targeted by anti-Semitic graffiti. Specifically, the residents woke up and found swastikas scrawled on every one of the eraseable "white boards" mounted on each dorm room door.

You can read about the incident and the University's reaction here.

According to my cousin, Jewish leaders on campus urged a low-key response. After all, they said, there were no suspects. The boards were eraseable. This was not "vandalism" in the classic sense. There was no permanent damage.

But what was the damage caused to Jewish students at Michigan? To a Jew, a swastika on your door means one of two things: either that you're a member of the "race" that Hitler should have destroyed, or that you're a modern-day Nazi, i.e., a Zionist supporter of the State of Israel.

Despite the intimidation tactics, I imagine this incident galvanized the leadership of the Jewish student community, causing them to fight more strenuously against anti-Semitism. But for the vast majority of Jewish students, I suspect this crime left them nursing new type of fear - that if they publicly identify as Jews, they too could be targeted.

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