Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi and leaders from the Jewish and Muslim communities and Celebration of Abraham are asking people “to stand strong and united against intolerance and hatred of all forms.”
In a sent Friday (Feb. 6) to the campus community, the leaders also expressed hope “that others will join us in condemning all forms of hate speech and actions, from whatever quarter they may come.”
The message is signed by Katehi; Rabbi Greg Wolfe of Davis’ Congregation Bet Haverim; Anne Kjemtrup of the Sacramento Area League of American Muslims (SALAM); and Helen Roland of Yolo County’s Celebration of Abraham, based on the idea of religious pluralism.
“Unfortunately, recent campus events have surfaced the worst forms of intolerance and bigotry toward both our Jewish and Muslim communities,” the message states. “These behaviors are not only repugnant and a gross violation of our values, they are unacceptable and must not be tolerated on our campus, or anywhere else in our community.
“A great deal of the vitriol has come from people completely unaffiliated with the university or the surrounding area, and even on campus it involves only a very small minority. Let us all reflect on the dialogue over the last week and strive to both engage in respectful discourse and recognize the impact our words and behaviors have on others in our community.”
The message says Adela de la Torre, vice chancellor of Student Affairs, and Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor of Campus Community Relations, will work with Celebration of Abraham, including leaders from Congregation Bet Haverim and SALAM, “in a concerted effort of outreach, engagement and understanding between community members of all faiths in Davis. We must learn from these events to create an environment that reflects the community we want to be.”
Here’s a recap of how we got to this point, and how the campus and others have responded:
• Divestment vote — The AS°ϲĻϢD Senate voted Jan. 29 to recommend to the °ϲĻϢ Board of Regents that the university divest from four corporations that, according to the resolution, “aid in the Israeli occupation of Palestine.” Chancellor Katehi responded with this the next morning, Jan. 30.
• Hate crime — On Saturday, Jan. 31, two swastikas were found spray-painted outside the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi at First and A streets, across the street from campus, the morning of Saturday, Jan. 31. Davis police are investigating. Fraternity members believe the crime occurred between 2 and 9:50 a.m., which is when they discovered it, according to this police .
• Campus response — Leaders quickly voiced outrage at the “despicable and hateful” graffiti. The came from Katehi, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter, and Vice Chancellor de la Torre, vice chancellor, Student Affairs.
• Council on American-Islamic Relations — The Sacramento Valley chapter issued a expressing the Muslim community’s solidarity with the Jewish community. Executive Director Basim Elkarra said: “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and condemn all acts of hate targeting members of any faith or background, including rejecting anti-Semitism.”
• Reward — The Anti-Defamation League is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever did the spray-painting, the Davis Police Department announced. The ADL had earlier the hate crime.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Davis Police Department, (530) 747-5400.
Media Resources
Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu