Swastikas Stir Controversy at Yale and Sears
by Alina Dain Sharon / JNS.org
JNS.org – Yale University students discovered swastikas spray painted on the sidewalk outside a freshman dormitory Monday night. This is the second such incident after swastikas had been discovered drawn on white boards at another dormitory just more than a month ago.
With the entire Yale campus in shock over the incident, especially the university’s Jewish community, the executive director of the Slifka Center at Yale and Senior Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Leah Cohen told the Yale Daily News that “something as hateful as swastikas on campus” is “not what Yale stands for, its values or its behaviors.”
“I believe that everyone at Yale should feel safe and comfortable being who they are, and I will do everything I can to make other Jewish students at Yale feel at home,” added Yale Hillel President Rebecca Bakal.
Meanwhile, another swastika controversy is brewing in the retail sphere after a ring engraved with swastika symbols was discovered being sold on the website of the Sears department store.
“This gothic jewelry item in particular features a Swastika ring that’s made of .925 Thai silver,” the item description read, Business Insider reported. “Not for Neo Nazi or any Nazi implication. These jewelry items are going to make you look beautiful at your next dinner date.”
After consumers complained, Sears removed the item from its online store and issued a statement on Facebook that “the ring was not posted by Sears, but by independent third-party sellers on Sears Marketplace… The ring has not been purchasable since this morning and we are in the process of completely removing the items from our site.”