Vandals spray-paint antisemitic graffiti on San Francisco Hillel House

The San Francisco Hillel House was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti over the weekend.

The vandalism and signs of forced entry were discovered at the Jewish student center, located near the San Francisco State University campus, on Monday.

The vandals spray-painted the word “Khaybar” in red over an SF Hillel sign, evoking an ancient battle when Muslim forces under Mohammed defeated a Jewish tribe, alongside a red hammer and sickle, a symbol of communism, and a capital “A” inside a circle, which is a symbol of anarchism. The words “Death to Western imperialism!” were also scrawled in white paint across the center’s garage door.

The Saudi city of Khaybar, about 100 miles north of Medina, had been inhabited by Arabian Jewish tribes until it fell to Muslim conquerors in 628 C.E.

The chant, “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed will return,” has been heard at numerous anti-Israel demonstrations around the world, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

“In celebrating a past military defeat of Jews, this chant can be perceived as a threat of armed violence or forcible expulsion against Jews today,” the ADL said.

“This type of antisemitic vandalism and property damage to our building, the center of Jewish life for students at nine San Francisco area schools, is deeply upsetting to our campus community,” the Hillel House said in a post on its Facebook page. “There is no room for hate or antisemitism of any kind on college campuses, or directed toward organizations that serve Jewish students.”

The vandalism was the latest in a burst of antisemitic incidents nationwide triggered by Hamas’s terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which set off the ongoing war against the terror entity in the Gaza Strip.

Local officials condemned the defacement of the Jewish student center.

“Acts of antisemitic vandalism, like the attack on SF Hillel, have no place in San Francisco,” Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie wrote on X on Tuesday. “We must stand united against hate in all forms and work to ensure every resident feels safe.”

“Jewish students continue to be targeted on our campuses,” State Sen. Scott Wiener posted to X. “Much work remains to ensure Jewish students can get an education without being targeted.”