Elijah Wiesel, a sophomore studying global affairs at Yale University, told JNS that he was “mildly annoyed” when he came across anti-Israel graffiti in the snow on campus on the morning of Feb. 18, but he is “pretty jaded to these things by now.”
Wiesel, who was headed to a Shacharit morning prayer service, shared photos of the graffiti with JNS, which showed the words “abolish ICE Free Palestine,” “Gaza dies Yale profits,” and “There was no ceasefire” spray-painted in red on Yale’s Cross Campus.
He said he heard there was also anti-Israel graffiti at the private Ivy League school’s Old Campus, which was removed before he could document it.
A spokesperson for the university told JNS that “on Wednesday morning, messages that appear to have been spray-painted on the snow at Old Campus and Cross Campus were removed by the university, consistent with Yale’s policies on postering and chalking.”
Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project, told JNS that “trespassing and vandalism are criminal acts, and it’s up to Yale University to determine whether to pursue charges against any individuals alleged to be responsible.”
He added that “if those involved are members of the Yale community, the university is obligated to proceed under its own disciplinary policies.”
Wiesel told JNS that while the incident itself does not appear to have had much impact on campus, he does think it’s “reflective of broader Jew-hatred on campus, but I am thankful to Yale’s administration for their no-nonsense policy and decision-making around Yalies4Palestine.”
The university revoked its recognition of Yalies4Palestine as a campus student group last year.
He also told JNS that the university, which said the incident is under investigation, seems to be taking this particular graffiti incident “very seriously.”
