Stanford, CA – A Jewish religious booth on the Row, called a “sukkah,” was vandalized by unknown person(s) in the late hours between Friday night and Saturday morning. The intent behind the act is unknown.
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The vandalism took the form of two phallic images drawn onto the canvas flaps of the booth, and the physical attack of a sign associated with the sukkah.
Jon Canel ’10, active in Jewish student life, discovered the images while on a morning run from his residence in Casa Italiana. Canel reported the incident to the police, and the images have since been covered with blankets.
Canel said the crime has a particular impact, given the religious significance of the sukkah. “The tent is a sacred space for the length of this holiday,” he said. “It’s akin to going up to a church and spray-painting the walls.”
Amy Kroll ’12, who described using the tent for studying and sharing dinner with other Jewish members of the Stanford community, said the revelation of the vandalism was unsettling. “I went over and looked under the blankets and got really scared,” she said. “I don’t understand who would do that.”
Jewish Student Association President Joe Gettinger ’11 found the incident surprising and regretted the probable loss of the sukkah. “It was a little unreal,” he said. “This sukkah is the same one we’ve had out there every year. This is permanent damage to something we would have used for years to come.”
Gettinger added that he found the incident important beyond its significance to the Jewish community alone. “The central thing is the defilement of a sacred thing on campus, which I find shocking,” he said.
The motive behind the act of vandalism is unclear. Police were unavailable for comment before press time, though the indication at the scene was that they were not treating the incident as a specifically anti-Semitic act.
While some students suggested that the carrying of graffiti cans, the singling out of a religious structure and the timing of the incident are evidence of specific targeting, they and others also pointed to the structure’s placement in a high-traffic part of the Row and the occurrence of the vandalism after a night of partying as potential alternative causes.
“We’re going back and forth between, ‘Was this a crime of opportunity or a crime of intent?’” Gettinger said.
While the possibility of a specific anti-Semitic intent weighed in their minds, many emphasized that they found the incident more likely to have been a random act than specific targeting.
“It was shocking, but I didn’t really make anything of it other than it being some drunk vandals,” said Isaac Bleaman ’12. “Most of the people I’ve spoken to think it’s unfortunate, but we don’t think it’s anti-Semitic.”
The incident at the sukkah is the second act of vandalism involving graffiti to hit the Row in less than a week. According to Kappa Sigma President Will Harte ’10, Kappa Sigma’s kitchen was also vandalized in the late hours of a party the fraternity held Saturday, Sept. 26. That incident has also been reported to police.
While students and Stanford’s Jewish community take in the crime, Gettinger said that programming and activities associated with the holiday will continue. He found that the crime had a particular resonance with Sukkot, which has its origins in both the construction of temporary dwellings by wandering Hebrews, described in the Torah, and the celebration of the end of the annual harvest.
“There’s an interesting tension in the holiday between permanence and frailty,” Gettinger said. “This graffiti has sort of emphasized the frailty part of the holiday.”
There is a a common problem with thinking a crime against any minority group except Jews is not a hate crime .
Unless this sukkah was covered in stars of david or some other easily identifiable Jewish symbol, the drunk waspy jocks at Stanford would not know what it was or who it belonged to. Trust me, these people do not know what “hillel” or “chabad” is. They probably thought some people were camping out there. I went to school there.
this isn’t a good thing that happened. but are there any adults ? the interveiwed are 10 11 12 years of age. town with no adults ?
#2 - There are a lot of Goyim who know that it is a religious symbol. When only Jews are using it (especially frum ones)it is kind of obvious… and when there is a sign “come in…its sukkot” it is not too hard to find out what sukkot is. There are a lot of Goyim who know that in September/October time Jews go camping in their backyards in weird tents… Trust me, people who are not Jewish have asked when the “tent holiday” is. Anti semitism at its finest.
#3–
The numerals 10, 11, and 12 refer to the year of graduation from college, not an age. The interviewees are not middle schoolers, but sophomores, juniors, and seniors in college. They are all adults over 18.
#4
I studied at Stanford before I became religious. Besides Chabad emissaries and a few Modern Orthodox professors and Doctors, there are no frum jews at Stanford…Goyim in New York may know what the tent holiday is since Jews build a lot of succas here, but the silicon valley is a midbar. Stanford University consists of mostly white and asian kids from upper and upper middle class backgrounds with a few assimilated Jews mixed in for good measure. I’m not ruling out anti-semitism, but based on my experience, I would be very surprised if it were. All that fraternity shtuss is very popular over there, so it was probably some unknowing drunk losers with nothing better to do.
#3 the interviewer was not referring to their age, but the year they are expected to graduate from college.
In all likelihood whether the vandals were drunk or not, they DID know that this was a Jewish religious symbol. It seems Leah might be trying to “protect” the reputation of her alma mater.
Sukkahs get vandalized on campuses almost every year. almost always the vandalism is just that. put any flimsy white structure in the middle of a high-traffic venue, add youth, alcohol, and lots of parties, and you’re going to get some vandalism. anti-semitim has nothing to do with it.
There is a good chance who ever did it knew it was Jewish, since it is on the front lawn of the Hillel House, which is on a very prominent corner there. I don’t think it was antisemitic though, because the graffiti made no reference to anything Jewish and things in high traffic areas like that are likely to be vandalized.
I was there 2 hours ago and it looks fine.