Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Behind the Aegis

(53,823 posts)
Fri Sep 11, 2020, 02:43 PM Sep 2020

(Jewish Group) Responding to Rise in Campus Anti-Semitism

For Jewish students at the University of Delaware, the fall semester was preceded by heightened anxiety and worries about returning to campus. Not because of the coronavirus pandemic, but because two weeks ago an arsonist set fire to the university’s Chabad Center, which many students considered a “home away from home” and a safe space to celebrate their Jewish identity and culture.

Talia Feldman, a senior and student leader in the university’s Hillel and Chabad organizations, said she was “shocked and confused” to learn on the morning of Aug. 26 that the center had been destroyed by fire overnight. Feldman said she thought about the hundreds of hours she had spent hanging out, attending meetings and having meals or Shabbat dinner every Friday evening in the small blue house in Newark.

“I definitely have a lot of memories in that house, and it’s really crazy for me that it’s gone,” she said.

While both Hillel and Chabad have centers on campuses across the country, Chabad is based around more traditional religious and cultural aspects of Judaism, while Hillel is more of a social organization for Jewish students that also incorporates religion and culture. ​

Officials said the fire at the Chabad Center at Delaware caused an estimated $200,000 in damage but that “there is currently no indication” it was a hate crime, according to a press release from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Baltimore Field Division, which is investigating the incident. Donna Schwartz, executive director of UD Hillel, said whether or not the fire is “officially” determined to be an act of anti-Semitism, it feels like one to the Jewish community.

more...

1 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
(Jewish Group) Responding to Rise in Campus Anti-Semitism (Original Post) Behind the Aegis Sep 2020 OP
K&R! SheltieLover Sep 2020 #1
Latest Discussions»Alliance Forums»Jewish Group»(Jewish Group) Responding...