While swastikas, Nazis and hate crimes are buried in the pages of college textbooks, according to a recent survey, they are resurfacing more often in contemporary college life.

In a study by the Anti-Defamation League, 106 incidents of anti-semitism on college campuses were reported in 2002, a 24 percent increase from 2001’s 85 reported acts. Seth Maser, a former president of the Jewish Student Union, said that while anti-semitism is on the rise at other schools, he does not believe it is a threat to Syracuse.

“I haven’t seen it as much here,” said Maser, a senior psychology major. “It bothers me when I hear that it’s happening on other campuses, but here it’s been more an anti-war attitude in general.”

Some, including Peter Weinmann, president of the Buffalo chapter of the American Jewish Committee, attribute the rise of anti-semitic acts to the involvement of the United States in the war against Iraq.

“While America is considered Satan, Israel and the Jews are the mini-Satans,” said Weinmann. “The problems in the Middle East and the problems here in the community have a very strong correlation.”

Israelis have faced huge numbers of murders, vandalism and threats among other crimes targeted at Jews, Weinmann said.

“There have been weekly, if not daily, suicide bombers targeting civilians, and the political dialogue has become very anti-semitic,” Weinmann said.

Maser believes that acts of vandalism or threats aimed at Jewish people on college campuses in response to international affairs are because students react out of ignorance of other cultures and beliefs.

“On college campuses, you see people who don’t even think through the issues at hand,” Maser said. “Right after 9/11, we saw anti-Muslim acts. They just happen in general because people react.”

Last month, an unidentified person carved a swastika and the words “Fuck AEPi” on the car of Syracuse University student Jeremy Greenberg. This act of vandalism is only the most recent on the SU campus that could be considered an act of anti-semitism.

“I definitely think there were some anti-semitic feelings there,” said Greenberg, a brother of the AEPi fraternity.

Greenberg added that he is not surprised at the recent rise of anti-semitic attitudes because of the war on Iraq.

Maser said that he does not think the vandalism is related to anti-semitism. He believes, instead, that it was simply an act targeted at the fraternity.

“I thought it was a [fraternity] prank,” Maser said. “I wouldn’t want to escalate it an anti-semitic act.”

Published on March 30, 2003 at 12:00 pm