String of Racist, Homophobic, and Anti-semitic Incidents at Oberlin During Feburary

(Cleveland Hillel Blog)
As you probably know there were a string of racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic incidents at Oberlin during February, culminating, we thought, in swastikas that appeared in the music conservatory Tuesday night or Wednesday February 26-27.

Then early the next Monday morning, March 4, a student reported seeing a person in KKK dress and the College canceled classes that day, for a day of dialogue. Our Hillel staff was very involved throughout this difficult time in working with students and colleagues at Oberlin. They informed me that the day of dialogue on Monday was very important for the student body to support one another and Jewish students played an important role. Articles on line at CNN.com here and the paper Forward.com here give more information about what occurred on Monday and mentions the work of our Hillel staff and students. Our staff and students also organized a gathering of Jewish students when classes resumed and a special Oneg this past Friday night after Shabbat dinner to give students the opportunity to talk and support one another.

I want to thank our staff at Oberlin for the important work that they are doing. Their work, along with the work all of our program and administrative staff, makes a difference daily and should always be recognized, but it is often only during unique circumstances that it is done.