Hoax Alert: Spray Paint in San Francisco (2024)
According to ‘The Jewish News of Northern California’ there was yet another so-called ‘anti-Semitic hate crime’ in the United States in December 2024 in the state of California’s second most famous city: San Francisco.
Gabe Stutman writes how:
‘San Francisco Hillel, a center for Jewish life serving university students across the city, was vandalized with violent graffiti carrying far-left messages late Sunday or early Monday.
SF Hillel said the vandal or vandals also “attempted to forcefully enter” the building, located about a block from S.F. State University.
The graffiti was discovered Monday morning, according to Roger Feigelson, SF Hillel’s executive director. Feigelson said he was surprised and “deeply frustrated” by the incident, adding that it was the first time the property has been vandalized since he joined the staff in early 2023.
Someone spray-painted “death to Western imperialism!” in all caps covering a garage door, as well as the word “Khaybar” over an SF Hillel sign. “Khaybar” apparently refers to the military victory in the Battle of Khaybar of early Muslims over Jews around 628 CE. It’s sometimes invoked by those calling for a return of Muslim military might and the destruction of Israel.
“‘Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed will return!’ has been heard at numerous anti-Israel demonstrations around the world,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. “This chant can be perceived as a threat of armed violence or forcible expulsion against Jews today.”
Someone also spray-painted a red hammer and sickle, a symbol of communism, and a capital “A” inside a circle, a symbol of anarchism, under SF Hillel’s sign.
Hillels across the country have long been targeted by activists because of perceived ties to Israel. Since Oct. 7 of last year, attacks have intensified. Hillel buildings at Boston University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan and University of Minnesota and the Houston Hillel, which serves multiple campuses, have been hit, among many others.
In general, Hillel International, the umbrella organization for campus Hillels, includes in its mission fostering a connection to Israel. Hillel is the largest and most visible campus organization for Jews in the world.
SF Hillel is located in a house on a residential block near S.F. State, but serves nine campuses including the University of San Francisco, UC Law and UCSF. It hosts Shabbat dinners and social events, connects students with counseling and helps low-income students with basic needs such as food.
Alongside a rise in pro-Palestinian campus protests over the past 14 months, a campaign to “Drop Hillel” has gained some traction, including at UC Santa Cruz. The anti-Zionist group Students for Justice in Palestine launched the campaign, Moment magazine has reported. The campaign’s goals include one to “delegitimize Hillel as a supposed authority on and arbiter of antisemitism on college campuses,” according to SJP.
Feigelson, who described the graffiti as antisemitic, said it was quickly removed on Monday. San Francisco police and campus police responded to the incident.
“This type of antisemitic vandalism and property damage to our building, the center of Jewish Life for students at nine San Francisco area schools, is deeply upsetting to our campus community,” Feigelson wrote in an email addressing the SF Hillel community on Monday.
A San Francisco State University spokesperson also described the vandalism as antisemitic.
“We are deeply disappointed to learn that SF Hillel was vandalized recently with antisemitic graffiti,” according to the statement, emailed to J. from spokesperson Kent Bravo. “As a crucial campus partner that provides community for SFSU’s Jewish students — as well as multiple other colleges and universities in San Francisco — SF Hillel is an integral part of our campus community. We condemn this behavior.”’ (1)
Now for the sake of transparency this is the graffiti which is being claimed to be ‘anti-Semitic’ by both Roger Feigelson and the Anti-Defamation League:
Now how you get ‘anti-Semitism’ from these acts of politically-motivated vandalism is beyond because clearly the ‘Khaybar’ reference is simply a symbolic reference to the then ongoing Israeli invasion and occupation of the Gaza strip following the events of 7th October 2023.
Nothing more than that: it is simply a rallying call using the symbolism of the battle of Khaybar.
The addition of ‘Death to Western Imperialism’ makes the ‘anti-Semitism’ accusation even more ludicrous because it evidences that the intellectual paradigm/political motivation involved – which is probably anarcho-communist given the symbology (a doctrine almost entirely associated with jewish thinkers incidentally) – holds that Israeli actions are ‘Western imperialism’ not ‘jewish imperialism’ and thus jews are not being identified as being responsible for Israel’s actions and conduct but rather ‘the West’ (aka Western Europe and North America) are being blamed.
So how on earth can that be ‘anti-Semitic’?
It simply can’t.
Scratch another so-called ‘anti-Semitic hate crime’!
References
(1) https://jweekly.com/2024/12/09/san-francisco-hillel-vandalized-with-violent-far-left-graffiti/