Mezuzah (illustration)
Mezuzah (illustration)iStock

A mezuzah belonging to Jewish Indiana University (IU) students was ripped off the door of their apartment and set on fire this past week.

The antisemitic incident was brought to light by Indiana University’s Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism.

“We are saddened to learn of an antisemitic attack against IU students at their apartment this week in which their mezuzah was ripped off and set on fire,” the institute posted on Instagram. “We stand in solidarity with these students and condemn such antisemitic hate crimes.”

In response to ongoing antisemitism at the university, IU Hillel launched an Antisemitism Prevention Task Force last fall.

In March 2022, after a series of antisemitic incidents took place at IU, hundreds of mezuzahs were placed across the campus in solidarity with Jewish students.

They were placed on entrances around the university by IU Hillel and said on them “I stand with my Jewish friends.”

The mezuzahs were a response to a serious increase in antisemitic incidents at IU since the fall, when four mezuzahs were torn down from Jewish students’ dorm room doors.

The university has had longstanding issues with antisemitic incidents.

In December 2021, three swastikas were found on and near the Indiana University (IU) Bloomington campus during Hanukkah.

In December 2019, three Jewish IU students trying to enter a fraternity party were physically assaulted and subjected to antisemitic slurs by members of the fraternity.

The assault followed an anonymous antisemitic online post the previous year that said a “bunch of hairy stinky rude obnoxious Jews” were overtaking the Indiana University campus.

In 2017, white supremacist flyers were plastered around campus, with the university contacting the FBI.

(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)