A George Washington University fraternity chapter that is about one-quarter Jewish saw its on-campus house vandalized early Sunday, with damage including to a Torah scroll, officials said.
Police on the Northwest Washington university campus and D.C. police were still investigating following a burglary that occurred early Sunday at the university’s Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter house. A city police report said the incident on 22nd Street NW was a suspected hate crime, and that cabinets, a Torah and smoke detectors were damaged or stolen sometime around 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.
“Just to show strength and we’re not going to bend to people who are willing to commit cowardly acts,” he said. School President Thomas LeBlanc in a second statement Monday said the incident was “a despicable act of antisemitic vandalism” and that school staff would be staying in the house and additional police patrolling the area.“As a university community, we must be unequivocal in this renunciation, and we must be unwavering in our support of one another, especially during these times.
“There are so many layers to this moment for a college student. How they’re navigating with the world, dealing with social media, the pandemic. I often think what people misunderstand about college campuses is how layered and complicated it is. And also how simple: People want to find kindness, and think critically about identity,” she said.