Police and FBI investigating second antisemitic assault at University of Pittsburgh in weeks

A Jewish student at the University of Pittsburgh was assaulted off campus early Friday morning by a group of six to eight men who used antisemitic and anti-Israel language during the attack, according to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.

A police report posted on Friday said the student told police that the group saw his Star of David necklace and then began making derogatory comments about Israel. The men and the student then began arguing, the report says, at which point at least three of the men “began punching and kicking him, causing him a bruised lip.” A bystander stopped the altercation.

A crime alert from the University of Pittsburgh Police also characterized the attackers as using “antisemitic language.”

Friday’s assault, which reportedly occurred at around 2 a.m., is the second attack on Jewish students at the University of Pittsburgh in less than a month. On Aug. 29, a man wearing a keffiyeh and wielding a glass bottle was arrested after allegedly injured two Jewish students, who were both wearing kippahs. The two students were heading to the campus Hillel building for a Shabbat dinner, the Hillel Jewish University Center said in a statement at the time.

In a statement on Friday following the incident, the Hillel said its staff spoke with the Jewish student and were “relieved that he was not seriously injured.” The statement called for the incident to be investigated as a hate crime.

“The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority, and we appreciate law enforcement’s quick response,” the statement said. “We know this is difficult news to hear, especially as we are heading into Shabbat.”

Rachel Kranson, director of religious studies at the University of Pittsburgh, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Monday that the attack would have ripple effects beyond the school because “the lines between ‘on,’ ‘near,’ and ‘off’ campus can feel quite thin” in a relatively small city with multiple urban campuses.

She noted that Squirrel Hill — a heavily Jewish neighborhood that was the site of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting, when 11 Jews were killed — is roughly two miles from where the alleged assault took place.

“My impression is that Jewish people have been feeling less safe in and around the city of Pittsburgh since the synagogue attack in 2018,” Kranson said. “The recent violence comes out of a different set of circumstances, but for those who live here, any violence targeting Jewish people in Pittsburgh can bring up horrific memories of that earlier attack and makes it feel all the more frightening. Emotionally, it is just hard to escape that context.”

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the FBI are investigating the incident, with assistance from the University of Pittsburgh Police.

“The University of Pittsburgh unequivocally condemns antisemitism. Any violence or antisemitic acts against our community will not be tolerated,” the university said in a statement posted on Instagram. “Regardless of who it comes from, or who it is directed at, hate of any kind has no place in our community. We are offering resources and support to the victim, in addition to any other community members who are impacted by this horrific incident, now and in the future.”