Two Syracuse freshmen turned Rosh Hashanah into a night of terror, hurling pork into a Jewish fraternity — now facing hate-crime charges.
Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year, a time of joy and renewal — was marred at Syracuse University by a shocking hate crime.
Two 18-year-old students were arrested after targeting members of Zeta Beta Tau, a historically Jewish fraternity, during their holiday dinner. According to campus police, one of the suspects entered the fraternity house around 6:00 p.m. Tuesday and hurled a clear plastic bag filled with pork against an interior wall. The contents splattered across the room, desecrating a sacred gathering where students believed they were safe.
The suspect then fled into a waiting vehicle driven by his accomplice. Both were caught within minutes and charged with burglary as a hate crime and criminal nuisance.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick left no room for ambiguity:
“This incident is not a foolish college prank and will not be treated as such. It will be treated for what it is — a crime directed against a group of Jewish students enjoying a celebratory dinner and seemingly secure in their residence.”
University officials echoed that condemnation. Chief Student Experience Officer Allen Groves said the attack was “abhorrent, shocking to the conscience and violates our core value of being a place that is truly welcoming to all. It will not be tolerated at Syracuse University.”
The use of pork in the assault was deliberate — a direct insult to Jewish faith and tradition, given that Jewish dietary laws forbid the consumption of pork. The timing was equally cruel, carried out on Rosh Hashanah, a holiday symbolizing new beginnings, judgment, and unity.
This act is part of a disturbing surge of antisemitism sweeping college campuses across the United States, where Jewish students are increasingly singled out and harassed simply for practicing their faith or supporting Israel. What happened in Syracuse is a chilling reminder that antisemitism isn’t “somewhere else” — it is right here, inside America’s universities.
The swift charges signal a clear message: hate crimes will not be excused as “pranks.” Those who desecrate Jewish spaces will face justice.
