BERKELEY – In an “act of antisemitic vandalism,” shellfish was tossed inside and onto UC Berkeley’s Jewish fraternity house over the weekend, according to the fraternity.
The incident happened between Friday and Saturday, on the first Shabbat of the school year, the Chi Alpha chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi said in a statement posted to Instagram.
According to the statement, a group of six people threw shellfish – a non-kosher food – into the house and on the front porch. Shellfish was also scattered around the premises at 2430 Piedmont Ave.
“This incident was undoubtedly deliberate, aimed at intimidating our chapter, who take pride in their Jewish identity and actively support the campus Jewish community,” the statement read.
The fraternity said it is working with the city and university police departments, as well as campus administration, to “identify the individuals responsible for this hateful crime.”
“Our aim is to send a resolute message that such behavior will not find acceptance within our campus community,” the statement read.
The Berkeley Police Department did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the incident.
Reached by email, Assistant Vice Chancellor Dan Mogulof said the university has launched an investigation and “will ensure there are appropriate consequences if laws, campus policies, and/or the student code of conduct are found to have been violated.”
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“We are dismayed by what appeared to be a hateful incident of anti-Semitism targeting the members of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity,” he said. “The campus administration has a long-standing and unwavering commitment to confronting anti-Semitism, and its expression, as we do with all forms of bias, discrimination, and hatred.”
Mogulof said the campus is coordinating its response and plans to provide support services to members of the fraternity and members of the broader campus Jewish community.
The Chi Alpha chapter has 25 students and 20 of them live at the house, according to J. The Jewish News of Northern California, which was among the first news outlets to report the story.
Check back for updates.
