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Thu, Oct 31, 2024
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The word “shame” was spray-painted on the face of the Houston Hillel sign and a flyer was posted with a dove and the words “Viva Viva Palestina.”
“It was discovered by one of our students who was driving on her way to teach religious school at Congregation Emanu El,” Houston Hillel Rabbi Kenny Weiss told the JHV.
Rabbi Weiss said the incident was reported to the Houston Police Department, the Rice Po-lice Department, ADL and the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.
While no arrests were made as of Nov. 1, security footage is still being reviewed.
Fortunately, one of Houston Hillel’s board members – Cory Weinberg – was able to remove the graffiti within 24 hours.
“He has a home renovation business and has all the stuff to clean it up,” Rabbi Weiss said. “He called us up and asked if we wanted him to take care of that and he got rid of all of it re-ally quickly.”
Similar incidents of antisemitism have happened on other college campuses nationwide since Hamas terrorists murdered and kidnapped more than 1,000 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.
Rabbi Weiss said this is the first incident of Houston Hillel being targeted since that attack.
It was not, however, the first Texas campus to be hit this year.
The University of Texas Hillel’s building and parking lot were vandalized with vulgar antise-mitic graffiti in broad daylight last March in Austin.
The graffiti included spray-painted antisemitic phrases “Israel comits [sic] genocide,” “F-ck the IDF,” “Murderers” and “Free Palestine.”
“Vandalism frees no one. Defacing property neither enacts justice nor promotes peace,” Texas Hillel Rabbi Stephanie Max told the JHV at the time.
For Houston Hillel, which serves hundreds of Jewish students and young professionals all over the Greater Houston area, the mission remains the same.
“Unfortunately antisemitism exists in our society,” Rabbi Weiss said. “This is not going to stop us from continuing to enrich and support Jewish life on Houston’s college campus-es.”
You can help support Jewish life on campus by donating to Houston Hillel at donorbox.org/houstonhillelweb.
