The University of Arizona Hillel building was vandalized on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 14. As the center for Jewish students on campus, this act brings a wave of fear for Jewish students.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdered over 1,200 citizens and took hundreds of innocent civilians hostage, antisemitism has reached an all-time high in the United States and around the world. During the 2024-2025 academic year, there were 2,334 antisemitic incidents across United States college campuses, a 700% increase from the 2022-2023 academic year.
While the increase in antisemitism can be felt in all sectors, terrifying hostility has especially been growing on college campuses. Being a Jewish student on campus has become an unnecessary challenge. Managing classes and extracurriculars is already a huge undertaking. Worrying about safety as a Jewish student on campus represents additional burdens that no student should encounter.
Antisemitism at the UA has appeared in forms of discriminatory chants, flyers and graffiti. For example, in December 2023, “HITLER IS RULER” was drawn on a classroom whiteboard, fliers reading “there will be more October 7ths” were distributed in August 2024 and a swastika was found painted on a campus light post. With a shift from graffiti and flyers to vandalism, many students wonder if the next act will include physical violence.
While thankfully, no one was in the Hillel building at the time of vandalism, this act took place on Shabbat, a holy day for Jewish people.
Throughout the week, Hillel is bustling with students doing homework, hanging out with friends and looking for a place where it is safe to be Jewish. This act of violence disrupted one of the few places where we’re able to be faithful and proud of our identity and community in a seemingly safe environment.
The past several years in America have shown that Jewish people can never feel completely safe in their own synagogues or community centers, like Hillel.
On Oct. 27, 2018 on Shabbat morning, 11 Jewish people were shot dead in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On Jan. 15, 2022, Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas was held hostage on Shabbat morning. More recently, on Dec. 14, 2025, 15 Jewish people were shot dead at a Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach, Australia. As history has shown, Jewish people are never completely safe. This unfortunate fact has been combatted with incredible security measures at Jewish institutions and events in my own community and across the world, such as police presence, bulletproof glass and frequent safety drills.
While the lack of Jewish people’s safety has become a not so new normal for the community, this cannot be passively observed by the UA community. No group should be targeted with hate on campus. Violence can never be accepted on campus. Instead of ignoring this act of antisemitism or sweeping it aside as another new normal, the UA community must take actions to ensure that never again truly means never again.
As the Hillel student board president, curating a positive community for all Jewish students is vital to my role and personal desires for the Jewish community and UA community at large. This is difficult when vandalism or other antisemitic attacks threaten the safety of Jewish students.
As a community, we must choose to care for all students, regardless of religion or identity. In the same vein, education must be a priority for students. Learning about other cultures and people is imperative to ensure trust and respect for each other.
Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel notably wrote that “Education is the key to preventing the cycle of violence and hatred that marred the 20th century from repeating itself in the 21st century.”
It is crucial for the collective UA community to be aware of what is happening on our campus and the greater world, regardless of one’s direct connection. Especially with great division spreading across the country, now is the time to provide support and kindness to all people. All students deserve to feel comfortable on campus and in their respective smaller communities; however, this can only be achieved by individually doing one’s part and showing up for each other every day with kindness.
