Gretchen Witmer, governor of Michigan, and Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, all Democrats, called the Chabad Jewish Center at Michigan State University in the past 24 hours to offer their support following back-to-back incidents of vandalism at the campus Jewish center.
An individual targeted the center in two separate incidents over the course of just as many days, with rocks thrown at a window on Tuesday and more hurled on Thursday, and two orange swastikas were spray-painted on the center’s glass doors, all during the Chanukah holiday.
Rabbi Benzion Shemtov, director of MSU Chabad in East Lansing, Mich., told JNS that these malign acts happened in the wee hours of the night when students have already left campus for winter break. Still, he told JNS that in response, “our students are strong. They are all posting and sharing how proud they are to be part of Jewish life on campus.”
Following the initial rock-throwing, which in Israel is considered a serious criminal offense and often classified as a security threat, he reported that the window remains largely intact. After Thursday’s incident, he confirmed that another window was broken, and swastika graffiti was sprayed on the doors.
“This is deeply upsetting, but it does not define us and will not deter us,” the rabbi stated. “We are guided by the message of Chanukah: When darkness increases, so must light. Retreat has never been the Jewish response.”
The East Lansing Police Department believes that the same individual is behind these incidents. Video shows a man wearing a black hoodie, dark-gray pants and black shoes at night outside the building.
As many as 3,500 Jewish students attend MSU—2,700 undergraduates and 500 in graduate programs.
Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, executive director of Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan, told JNS that “when students return to campus, our response is not to retreat but to deepen our commitment to learning, connection and Jewish life. Chabad at MSU remains a home where every student is welcomed with warmth, safety and pride in who they are.”
He added that “acts of hate may try to intimidate, but they will never define us—our Torah, our values and our unity will always be stronger.”
