What happened:
On the evening of 02/02/24, a mezuzah belonging to an undergraduate Jewish student was removed from the door frame of their residence and left on the floor. This removal of a sacred religious symbol is deemed a form of intimidation targeting the Jewish community.
Purposely intimidating and threatening people based on protected identities is antithetical to Stanford’s values. More specifically, Stanford considers antisemitic acts to be abhorrent, and this incident is being investigated by the Department of Public Safety as a crime (vandalism) motivated by hate.
At this time the offending party(ies) is/are unknown.
What is being done:
Updated as of 02/07/24
A Protected Identity Harm report was filed by the resident of the dorm room.
Student Affairs staff have reached out to the student to provide support.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has been notified. The Clery Act and the CA Education Code 67380 require the University to record the number of hate incidents occurring on campus. This incident meets the Clery definition for hate incidents, and has been recorded accordingly. DPS is reviewing facts to determine if they would result in a violation of the California Penal Code section addressing hate crimes. Hateful words or symbols intended to threaten and intimidate individuals) is contrary to Stanford’s values.
Because this conduct is connected to potential criminal activity, it is not considered protected speech, and the person(s) who engaged in the conduct could be subject to legal and disciplinary action.
The Office for Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) and Hillel staff are aware of the incident and can serve as support systems for students.
What to do:
- If you have any information that may assist with this investigation, please call DPS at (650) 329-2413 (24/7) and ask to speak with a deputy.
- Rabbi Laurie Hahn Tapper, Associate Dean for Religious and Spiritual Life and Campus Rabbi, and Rabbi Kirschner, a chaplain affiliate and Executive Director at Hillel, are always available to talk individually to students seeking support. All other ORSL Deans can be contacted, as well.
- Students needing assistance are invited to reach out to these mental health resources and faculty/staff can reach out to the Faculty Staff Help Center.
- If you experience bias or discrimination, please file a Protected Identity Harm report.
- Learn more about hate crime reporting by reading reference materials posted on the PIH website.
- Review Stanford's annual safety, security, and fire report.
