A Jewish student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was assaulted on Friday night during a Shabbat event in honor of the hundreds of Israelis taken hostage by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.
During the event, which was titled “Bring Them Home: Solidarity Walk and Installation,” the Hillel chapter on the campus set up Shabbat tables with 240 empty seats, symbolizing the approximately 240 hostages being held in Gaza.
Towards the end of the event, another student approached the Jewish students and flipped them off. When the event had concluded, the same student returned and punched a Jewish student who held an Israeli flag. He then grabbed the flag and spat on it.
The assailant was arrested and released on bail. He is barred from returning to campus.
Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Shelly Perdomo-Ahmed and Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police Tyrone Parham said in a joint statement that "what this student is accused of is reprehensible, illegal, and unacceptable."
They added: “Let us be clear, these were the actions of an individual who did not speak for nor act on behalf of a group or anyone other them themselves.”
UMass Hillel called the incident "disturbing."
"We must not let the most extreme voices and actions create undue fear or dominate the campus climate. It is vital that our campus community model civility, as the Jewish community did on Friday in publicly and peacefully showing solidarity with the 240 hostages. The vast majority of students, staff, and faculty at UMass who believe there is no place for antisemitism or any type of hate on campus and who seek a healthy, caring campus community must now double down on efforts to come together across differences to embody the best values and mission of our shared campus community. In the coming days, UMass Hillel will provide additional resources for students in need of personal and communal support, and partner with all voices of care, civility, and reason in this difficult time," the Hillel chapter stated.