It is a sad sign of the times that even on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, we are seeing a resurgence in acts of hatred and vandalism directed at 'the other'.
The current example is a rash of destructive vandalism targeting Jewish sites and books.
Letter from IU Provost office after the fold.
I received the following email sent by the university Office of the Provost to all IU staff and students this morning.
To the campus community:
In the last week, rocks have been thrown through windows at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center and the Chabad House Jewish Student Center, and a rock was thrown at the staff directory sign for the Jewish Studies program. There has also been vandalism of Hebrew books at the Wells Library. All these incidents have been reported to police and to the FBI and all are under intense investigation.
We explicitly condemn these criminal acts of vandalism on campus and in our community. The anti-Semitic significance of these targeted and malicious acts is beyond any serious doubt and cannot be minimized. There is no place for anti-Semitism at Indiana University or anywhere else. We will not tolerate intimidation of any kind against anyone in the university community, nor will we tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or political position.
Indiana University is a place where a spirit of learning and acceptance prevail and where all are welcome. We aim to ensure the safety and well-being of all members of our community, and we are governed by ideals of civility and respect.
We are committed to taking all steps necessary to keep our campus safe. The IU Police and the Bloomington Police are increasing uniformed and plain clothes patrols, and they are implementing a variety of measures to find and arrest the person or persons responsible for the incidents that have occurred. We will not tolerate this criminal activity. On the eve of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, we once again affirm our commitment to enlightenment and civility.
Sincerely,
Karen Hanson
Provost and Executive Vice President
http://www.iub.edu/...
There is another statement online at the Provost web site which emphasizes the university's commitment on these issues:
http://www.iub.edu/...
The following are quotes from the Bloomington HeraldTimesOnline.com newspaper site. Most articles require subscription login, but links are provided anyway to document source.
November 28, 2010, last update: 11/27 @ 10:19 pm
For the second time this week, a rock has been thrown through a window of a Jewish center for students, this time at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center.
According to Hillel Center executive director Rabbi Sue Silberberg, a cook discovered the vandalism to a kitchen window at the back of the building Saturday afternoon and contacted Indiana University police. No one had been in the center at 730 E. Third St. since Tuesday night, she said.
"It (the Hillel Center) was clearly targeted," Silberberg said in a phone interview Saturday evening. "It (the rock) was clearly something somebody brought with them." She said the type of rock used to break the window does not match rocks that can be found near the building.
"The fact that it happened at Chabad House also makes me think it is an act of hatred," Silberberg said.
http://heraldtimesonline.com/...
November 30, 2010, last update: 12/1 @ 12:37 am
A series of anti-Semitic acts of vandalism aimed at various Jewish facilities on and near campus has caused Indiana University police to contact local FBI officials and members of the U.S. Department of Justice for help with their investigation.
On Monday, eight different Hebrew texts were taken from the shelves at Indiana University’s Wells Library and distributed to eight different men’s bathrooms, where they were thrown in toilets and urinated on, university officials confirmed. The defiled books were from the research collections section on the sixth and seventh floors of the library.
On Tuesday morning within an hour, two more rock throwing incidents at Jewish facilities were reported to police. At 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, someone threw a rock into the staff directory sign of the Jewish Studies Program in Goodbody Hall.
And earlier at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, the Chabad House Jewish Student Center got hit with a rock for the second time in a week — this time, a rock was hurled through an upstairs apartment window and struck a wall, according to Chabad House Rabbi Yehoshua Chincholker.
"He meant to hit people, not only windows; this is my assumption," he said.
A woman was in the apartment when the rock was thrown, but was not injured, according to a news release from campus police.
"It seems to be escalating," said Jeffrey Veidlinger, IU’s director of Jewish studies. He said the recent acts of vandalism, especially the defiling of the Hebrew texts, are being used to intimidate and instill fear in the Jewish community. "People are worried. People are concerned."
Veidlinger said the books that were destroyed were all commentaries on the Talmud, the code of Jewish law, and are considered sacred.
"Anyone who knows anything about the defilement of books — that’s disturbing," he said.
http://heraldtimesonline.com/...
Here are a few more links to reports of these incidents by regional TV and news agencies.
6:47 AM, Dec 1, 2010
The director of Indiana University's Jewish Studies Program says someone took Hebrew texts from library shelves, moved them to library bathrooms and urinated on them.
Anti-Semitic vandalism reported at IU-Bloomington
Anti-Semitic vandalism reported at IU-Bloomington
Another Anti-Semitic Incident Reported At Indiana University
One of the reasons we moved to Bloomington in the mid-1980's was its reputation as a progressive university community, in addition to being one of the most beautiful residential campuses in the country. It is still both of those things.
It's reputation today continues to be that of a community and university that is tolerant and accepting of people of all cultures and racial and ethnic backgrounds. That is one of the things that has made it such a wonderful city in which to spend the past 25 plus years our our lives.
It is truly sad, if not frightening, to see the resurgence of hatred and racism infecting this nation currently rear its ugly head here in this manner.
At least I can continue to be proud of a great university that still has leadership that does not hesitate to meet and resist this ignorance and human folly head on.
This is just one more example of what the leadership of the right wing in America has unleashed on this nation, both through its political appeals to the basest motives and ignorance and hatred people are capable of, and through the constant drumbeat of propaganda via the media controlled by the them, foremost outlets such as the Fox News.
They sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
Hosea 8:7
UPDATE:
I am a little taken aback by the comments by those who seem to be practicing the same false equivalency that the right practices. Are you telling me we have just as much hatred being expressed from the left toward Blacks, Jews, Gays, immigrants, Muslims, etc?
After Glenn Beck's incredibly antisemitic diatribe and attack on Soros recently, following in the wake of years of a constant drum beat of bigotry and blatant racism on Fox News, coupled with the constant effort to attack illegal immigrants as the cause of all troubles in this country, one has to wonder how you could miss my point.