This past Thursday, October 4, 2007, while Jews around the world celebrated the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, an act of hostility, directed at the Jewish community, occurred on the UC Davis campus. The Jewish holiday booth display on campus, the Sukkah, was defaced and the phrases “Free Palestine” and “End Israel’s Occupation” were scribbled on the Sukkah wall and welcome sign.
On October 8, 2007, the SPME chapter at UC Davis mailed a letter to Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef requesting a full investigation and actions aimed at preventing similar incidents. We, at UC Davis, consider this incident to be an act of hate, directed not only at our Jewish Students, Faculty and Staff, but also at the Jewish people and Judaism in general.
For the last five years Chabad of Davis has erected a Sukkah on campus without any incident. Rabbi Shmary Brownstein, Director of Chabad of Davis, explains “The Sukkah on campus reminds Jewish students that the holiday of Sukkot is here, and offers them an opportunity to use the Sukkah”.
The Sukkah is a religious symbol that has nothing to do with the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We, at UC Davis, thus perceive the defacing of the Sukkah on campus to be an attack on every Jew in the community. “The holiday of Sukkot is a time of unity, when Jewish tradition teaches us to pray for the welfare of all mankind” explains Rabbi Brownstein”. “The Sukkah itself is an inclusive environment, open to everyone. It is sadly ironic that this symbol of unity became the target for vandalism to push someone’s narrow agenda”.
The Sukkah was targeted as a manifestation of Jewish observance, and the desecration expressed the bigotry of the perpetrator against Jews of all persuasions. We believe that by defacing the Jewish symbol, the Sukkah, and by making it a vehicle to convey anti-Israel sentiments, the perpetrators have proven (again) that there is a strong linkage between Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel notions on university campuses. The incident of last week should teach all of us about the true nature of those who have been trying to convince us that “…they only have issues with the policy of the state of Israel”
We, at UC Davis, will continue to insist on tangible actions to be taken by the administration and, as Rabbi Brownstein so eloquently phrased it “In the spirit of Jewish tradition, we will fight darkness with light. We will redouble our efforts to erect public Sukkahs at Sukkot and to educate the community about the beauty of Jewish tradition”. We welcome the collaboration of all those who are not intimidated by acts of cowardice, but value the freedom to express faith, peace and unity.
