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Yale University leaders, elected representatives and pastors in New Haven, Conn., condemned what they called the desecration of a Hanukkah menorah in public after a protester hung a Palestinian flag from the end of the week.
“Placing a Palestinian flag on the menorah sends a disturbing message to the Jewish community of New Haven, including the people of the Yale community,” said Peter Salovey, president of the Yale, in a statement.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, who is Jewish, called the incident an act of hatred and described his father’s escape from Germany in 1935.
“It may seem like a joke,” he said at a news conference in New Haven on Monday. “It may seem like a joke. But it could not be more serious for mocking and desecrating a very important religious symbol.”
The incident, captured on video in a public space near Yale’s campus but not on it, lasted more than a minute, according to a person who attended a rally. -Palestinian nearby. The protester who hung the flag was quickly removed upon the pressure of other protestors.
“Get down!” the demonstrators can be heard shouting repeatedly in the video.
“It looks bad for us,” said one man in a kaffiyeh, a scarf that symbolizes Palestinian freedom. “Put it down!”
Palestinian political organizations in Connecticut – including Yalies4Palestine, a sponsor of Saturday’s rally – condemned the incident, which they described as an “antisemitic act.”
“We are appalled by this behavior, and we are particularly upset since it came during the religious celebration of Hanukkah,” they said in a statement. joint information. They apologized and said the climber was not affiliated with their group.
The event comes at a difficult time for colleges whose campuses have become the scene of frequent protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
Elizabeth Magill, the former president of the University of Pennsylvania, resigned over the weekend after hearing congressional testimony about campus protests. Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard, apologized after her own testimony. He is facing calls to resign.
Dr. Salovey, the president of Yale, has been more vocal in his condemnation of campus anger.
Last week, after the testimony of his friends, he released a statement outline the steps against both antisemitism and Islamophobia at Yale. He noted the university’s commitment to freedom of expression but drew a clear line.
“Songs or messages that express anger, celebrate the killing of civilians, or include calls for the killing of any group are completely against our views,” said Dr. Salovey.
Yale does not know if the person who placed the flag on the menorah was a member of the university. The New Haven Police Department said it is investigating.
“While the incident is despicable, it does not appear – in the evaluation of the various parties – to cause a hate crime,” said David Zanelli, an assistant chief of police. He said the menorah did not appear to be damaged.
Many officials and Jewish people say that the targeting of a menorah – a religious symbol – is an attack on the Jewish people, not the actions of the Israeli government.
“The menorah has nothing to do with Zionism,” said Ina Silverman, a resident of New Haven who came to the press conference on Monday.
Ms. Silverman, who is Jewish, wore a pin with the Israeli and American flags.
“The menorah is an ancient symbol of Judaism,” he said. “It is clearly a counter attack. No one should think otherwise.”
Others described the press conference as an overreaction.
Jake Dressler, a lawyer who attended the rally on Saturday and filmed the hanging of the flag, said that the person responsible acted alone and “it’s very bad.”
“One man left the group,” said Mr. Dressler, 29. “Nobody knew he did it.”
He said the man quickly returned to remove the flag at the urging of other protesters.
“It’s too much,” said Mr. Dressler.
He also noted that someone started throwing eggs at the protesters. “It’s like direct violence against a person,” he said. “No one was hurt in the menorah thing.”
Other critics have argued that the unrest in the speech and protests at the university campuses is a distraction from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which health authorities say is at least 15,000 people have died since the war began on October 7.
“They are doing a one-man action out of 300 or 400 people at this rally, which was very quiet,” said Dan Garrett, 63, who attended the press conference. He said he was Jewish and that his mother was a Holocaust survivor.
“It’s a disaster,” he said. “The real story is what’s happening in Gaza.”