President Morton Schapiro Northwestern University 633 Clark Street Evanston, IL 60208-1100 Dear President Schapiro, We are 23 organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people who are very concerned about the safety and well-being of Jewish students at Northwestern University. We are troubled by reports of two separate incidents of antisemitic graffiti discovered last week on your campus. On Saturday April 11, a swastika was drawn on a wall of the men’s bathroom in the NU library, and on Wednesday April 15, a large swastika was found on the wall of a study lounge in the library. We are aware that on Tuesday April 14 you sent an email to the campus community stating that the April 11 incident was “offensive to the entire Northwestern community and will not be tolerated.” While we are pleased that you issued a statement, we are concerned that your message neglected to publicly acknowledge that a swastika is an antisemitic symbol associated with genocide perpetrated against the Jewish people, and that although it affects the entire campus community, it particularly targets NU’s Jewish members for hatred and discrimination. Campus antisemitism is a serious and growing problem. A recent study published by Trinity College and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law reveals that 54% of Jewish American college and university students report experiencing or witnessing antisemitism on campus in the recent school year. The research reveals that this is a much more widespread problem than most realized. In the last year, more than 18 college and university campuses around the country have been defaced with swastikas, in each case causing particular distress to Jewish students. There have also been multiple reports of antisemitic name-calling, threats, assaults and other acts of hate and discrimination. These acts are often linked to anti-Israel activity on campus, particularly boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) campaigns, such as the one leading up to the recent anti-Israel divestment vote in the NU student government. We encourage you to take the following steps to deter future acts of anti-Jewish bigotry and demonstrate unequivocally your commitment to protecting Jewish students and all students on your campus: Swiftly, forcefully and publicly acknowledge that swastika graffiti is an act of antisemitism and will not be tolerated on campus. Publicly commit to educating University staff, including campus police, in identifying antisemitism and antisemitic hate crimes. Formally adopt the U.S. State Department’s definition of antisemitism to fully and accurately identify all future acts of hate toward Jews. Allocate resources and publicly commit to educating students about antisemitism and anti-Jewish discrimination. Taking these steps will show your students, their parents, alumni, and the larger community that Northwestern University stands firmly against bigotry and hatred, including antisemitism, and will protect all members of the campus community. Thank you for considering our recommendations. We look forward to working with you to protect Jewish students. Sincerely, Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi) AMCHA Initiative American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists Americans for Peace and Tolerance BEAR: Bias Education, Advocacy & Resources Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) Hasbarah Fellowships Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel Iranian American Jewish Federation Israeli-American Council (IAC) National Conference on Jewish Affairs Middle East Political and Information Network (MEPIN) Proclaiming Justice to the Nations Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Simon Wiesenthal Center StandWithUs Students and Parents Against Campus Anti-Semitism The Israel Group The Lawfare Project Training and Education About the Middle East (T.E.A.M.) Zionist Organization of America Cc: Board of Trustees Daniel Linzer, Provost Michael Simon, Executive Director Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern University Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein, Tannenbaum Chabad House Richard B. Silverman, John Evans Professor of Chemistry, Northwestern University A few hours later, Northwestern President Schapiro answered the letter by the following statement: Dear Ms. Rossman-Benjamin, Thank you for your email of April 21 regarding the incidents of graffiti that occurred earlier this month at Northwestern. I appreciate your taking the time to write and express your thoughts.I assure you that no one is more concerned about the well-being of all Northwestern students, including Jewish students, than I am. The safety and security of our students is one of our top priorities at Northwestern, and it is something we work hard at every day. Since you quote from my email to the campus community that was sent on April 14, I assume that you have seen it; in that email we reported that there were no indications of any specific danger to the campus community at that time. That remains the case. If we believed that a threat did exist to Jewish students — or any other students — we would take the appropriate actions in order to ensure the continued safety of our students. Also, thank you for your suggestions regarding other statements that might be included in a subsequent message to the Northwestern campus community. We are not planning on sending any additional messages at this time, but if we decide to do so, we will consider your recommendations thoughtfully, as we will your other suggestions. I would also reiterate my strong personal commitment, as stated in my message, that Northwestern will not tolerate any acts of hate and or anti-Semitic activity. I am very proud of the vibrant Jewish life at this great university. We have an extraordinarily strong Hillel, Jewish students are active and involved in every facet of the University, and through the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies, Northwestern has significantly increased its commitment to the academic study of Jewish history, religion and culture. While incidents of racist or anti-Semitic graffiti are indeed troubling, I am confident that they do not represent the sentiment or values of the vast majority of the Northwestern community. Again, thank you for your message and for your interest in Northwestern. Sincerely, Morton Schapiro President and Professor