McHenry Library at University of California, Santa Cruz. Photo: Jay Miller/Wikimedia Commons

Back to back antisemitic incidents occurred on and near the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) late last month, school officials confirmed in a statement shared with The Algemeiner.

The incidents involved a group of students organizing a party commemorating the birthday of Adolf Hitler and a separate flyer promoting antisemitic and homophobic ideas which was placed on the windshield of a car parked in downtown Santa Cruz.

“Whatever the purpose and wherever they take place, we reject any and all acts of antisemitism. Our Jewish community members and our LGBTQIA+ community members are an integral part of our Banana Slug family, and we stand with them against all acts of hate,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success Dr. Akirah Bradley-Armstrong said on Sunday. “White supremacy has no place at UC Santa Cruz.”

Akira-Bradley also called on the community to “continue to reject all expressions of hate” and detailed various counseling services available to students and staff affected by the incident.

Antisemitic incidents in the United States increased 36 percent in 2022, according to an annual audit issued by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in March. Four hundred-and-ninety-four incidents took place on K-12 campuses, and two-hundred-and-nineteen incidents took place at colleges and universities, an increase of 41 percent from the previous year.

A slew of antisemitic incidents have occurred at colleges and universities over the first four months of 2023.

In April, an unknown person or group carved a swastika into dirt on The Green of Dartmouth College, and in March, a Jewish Stanford University student found an image of Hitler and swastikas on their door, an offense the Stanford University Department of Public Safety has classified as a hate crime.

Previous antisemitic incidents at Stanford University in the last year include the removal of an Israeli flag from a display of others from across the world and the desecration of a mezuzah belonging to a graduate student. Most recently, on Feb. 28, someone graffitied swastikas, the n-word, and “KKK” in a men’s bathroom.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.