On June 7, 2024, an unknown individual smashed the glass windows and door of the University of Minnesota Hillel’s office, a Jewish student organization.

The destruction of the center occurred against the backdrop of a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, during which over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed and more than 200 abducted, and the Israeli military’s subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip which, as of mid August, has reportedly killed more than 40,000 Palestinians.

The University of Minnesota Police Department responded to a call reporting the incident. They did not find anyone in the building, and announced they would open an investigation; at the time of this report, there was no publicly available information on whether the investigation had concluded or what it had found.

Scholars at Risk is concerned with the intentional vandalization and destruction of a religious student group’s office. Such acts erode the right to education, and diminish everyone’s access to a safe, free and open university space. State and de facto authorities should take all reasonable measures to prevent and respond to such incidents, including ensuring campus security and conducting prompt and thorough investigations, as appropriate.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://tcjewfolk.com/2024/06/08/minnesota-hillel-vandalized-investigation-underway/
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/vandalism-at-university-of-minnesota-jewish-student-organization-under-investigation/