Donald Trump has yet to set foot in the Oval Office, but the mango-Mussolini’s hate filled rhetoric has already emboldened the worst among us. Women were first, attacked within hours by far-right misogynists like Nick Fuentes. African Americans were a quick second, plagued by racist text messages sent out in the hundreds. And now the Jewish community is feeling the burn of the Trump-trains hate.
The University of Rochester, a small private college in New York State, is reeling after hundreds of “wanted” posters appeared across campus. The posters, which featured members of the community, prompted immediate outcry – and a subsequent investigation by local law enforcement.
University president Sarah Mangelsdorf was quick to respond to the images. Her office issued a statement Monday morning, following the Sunday night discovery. In a strongly worded condemnation that described the act as “disturbing, divisive and intimidating,” the Office of the President addressed the public’s concerns.
“We view this as antisemitism, which will not be tolerated at our University,” the statement asserted. “This isn’t who we are. This goes against everything we stand for and we have an obligation to reject it,” Mangelsdorf continued.
The posters were found across campus, even in classrooms. The vandals used a powerful adhesive and removing them has been described as “painstaking.” Faculty members have struggled to remove the offending flyers, which include pictures of Jewish professors, members of the staff, and even the Board of Trustees who work at U of R. The adhesive has caused damage to everything it’s stuck to, including chalkboards, walls, and floors.
The laser focus on Jewish faculty members has escalated the act of vandalism to a hate crime. There’s no doubt that the act was an act of antisemitism, and the Jewish community has been quick to mobilize. A Jewish organization on campus, Hillel at the University of Rochester, condemned the posters saying they, “disproportionately singled out Jewish faculty and staff and used language that spreads harmful, antisemitic ideas about Jewish people.”
The president promised the investigation would exhaust “all available resources to collect evidence and hold those involved accountable for their actions.” Alumni took to X.com to voice their concerns, accusing the school of not doing enough. Jewish alumni were quick to condemn the statement “very weak,” and threatened to withhold future donations.
The University has yet to release any concrete plan of action on exactly how it plans to punish the students involved, but social media users are calling for expulsion. The attack underscores the growing unrest across the country. Trump’s election has opened the door for racists, sexists, and antisemites to freely spew their hate-filled nonsense.