George Washington University President Speaks Out on ‘Antisemitic Vandalism’ That Included Torah Desecrated

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George Washington University has condemned what it called “antisemitic vandalism” that included a Torah being desecrated at a fraternity house.

The vandalism reportedly occurred on Saturday night at the university’s chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon, which was broken into, according to GWU president Thomas LeBlanc.

OUTRAGEOUS – a Jewish fraternity house (TKE) at George Wash. U. (@GWtweets) was broken into & vandalized last night as Shabbat was ending

The Torah was ripped apart & had detergent poured all over it

Jewish students deserve to feel safe on campus @cissypetty – GWPD case 2101009 pic.twitter.com/o2SgBPedQ0

— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) October 31, 2021

In a statement on Monday, LeBlanc said:

As you all have most likely heard by now, a despicable act of antisemitic vandalism occurred on our campus over the weekend.  Someone broke into the TKE fraternity house and vandalized the space, including desecrating a Torah.

First, let me be clear: I condemn antisemitism and all forms of hatred, discrimination, and bias in our community.  As a university community, we must be unequivocal in this renunciation, and we must be unwavering in our support of one another, especially during these times.  The desecration of the Torah scroll is a direct and serious act of hate, and an attack on Judaism and the Jewish people.  Any act of antisemitism is an attack on the entire GW community and cannot, and will not, be tolerated.

The safety and well-being of our community has been and will remain our foremost priority.  I recognize that members of our community are feeling less safe on our campus after this incident, and we are taking every action to rebuild a sense of trust and safety.

The GW Police Department is actively working with the Metropolitan Police Department in the investigation to identify the perpetrators.  If you have any relevant information, please contact GWPD at 202-994-6111.  As our investigation continues, we have increased police patrols in the area around the TKE house and have several GW staff staying in the house.

[Disclosure: The author of this article is an alum of GWU.]