When Hate Crosses the Threshold: Antisemitism and the Targeting of Jewish Greek Life

Originally Published in The Jewish Journal.

In the early hours of Shabbat morning on Jan. 10, the UC Santa Barbara residential AEPi house was trespassed on and vandalized with a swastika on a bathroom mirror. According to the ADL, this is the fourth time since November that this particular Jewish residential institution has been targeted with antisemitic hate. Isla Vista Foot Patrol, which is part of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, is actively looking into the incident and has yet to release any official information to the public.

This is not just another example of individual hatred, but a dangerous normalization of antisemitic behavior which perpetrators in our community now feel emboldened to cross personal and physical boundaries.

As the investigation in Isla Vista continues, the Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League in Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties, Joshua Burt, released a statement: “The swastika is a symbol of hate and terror, and its use to intimidate Jewish students in their own home is reprehensible. This escalating pattern of harassment is unacceptable and has no place in our community.”

This wasn’t defacing the stall of a bathroom on campus or on a classroom whiteboard (which would be bad enough.) No, someone invaded a safe space created for young Jewish men and threatened them with the most potent symbol of their people’s genocide ever created.

Imagine walking into your bathroom and seeing a dehumanizing slur staring you in the face. How quickly would your feeling of safety erode? The anger and frustration students must feel from being victimized, while in a community that prides itself on diversity and inclusion is profound and deeply alienating.

How many members will think twice now before entering? How much of their budget will need to be allocated to extra security just to exist openly? Wiping away the shaving cream is easy, but feeling safe again is its own battle.

What’s all the more sad is that AEPi members aren’t surprised. “My initial reaction was disgust and fear, but honestly, I’m Jewish. To say this isn’t my reality, would be a lie. … I’m proud to say I’m Jewish, and I’m proud to say no amount of swastikas or attacks will ever change that,” shared Justin Shirazian, a pre-med junior and the Sentinel of AEPi UCSB.

Jake Zicklin, another AEPi brother, was asleep in his room at the time of the attack. He woke up from the noise and noted he was “horrified to leave my room because I was unsure if they were armed.” Thankfully, Zicklin was able to get a photo of the perpetrators’ faces before they left. “This has nothing to do with Israel…. This has everything to do with Jews existing,” said Zicklin.

Our campus depends on mutual respect. The perpetrators are testing boundaries. If they face no real consequences or community pushback, they will feel emboldened to repeat the behavior or escalate it further. Unfortunately, this is not a West Coast phenomenon.

Campuses across the country have faced increasing amounts of unabashed Jewish hate. Just last month, the Michigan State University Chabad was vandalized with swastikas accompanied by the words “He’s back,” presumably referring to Hitler. When asked about the incident, Jewish MSU student, Ruben Sobol, expressed sentiments that would resonate with Jewish students around the world: “Hatred is so normalized, I don’t even know who to trust anymore when I meet new people.” These incidents aren’t simply vandalism. They create a culture that prohibits Jewish students from feeling safe in their own educational spaces.

Aside from the current rise of antisemitism that we’re seeing, it’s hard not to see parallels with pre-Holocaust Nazi radicalization in German universities. As the Nazis were increasing their influence, Jewish professors and students were already being alienated on campuses. Jewish faculty was boycotted, and petitions were circulated to limit Jewish participation in universities. Swastikas were everywhere.

The time to pay attention is now. We cannot allow Jewish students to live in fear of constant attacks because it’s easier than finding ways to have hard conversations and explore resolutions.

What happened at AEPi wasn’t a funny prank and it wasn’t harmless. It was someone entering illegally into a Jewish home and vandalizing the home with an intimidating hate symbol. Talking about incidents like this matters, because when they’re ignored, it sends the message that this kind of behavior is normal and acceptable. Once hate is allowed to enter people’s homes without real consequences or pushback, it starts to feel normal, and that’s when the problem becomes much bigger than one house or one incident.