University of Delaware student charged with hate crime in Holocaust memorial vandalism
University leaders said the student was also “yelling hateful antisemitic slurs” during the incident.
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A University of Delaware undergraduate student has been charged with a hate crime after witnesses reported her for vandalizing a Holocaust memorial on the university’s campus last Wednesday.
The Delaware Department of Justice has charged Jenna Kandeel, 23, with a hate crime, criminal mischief, and disorderly conduct — all misdemeanors — for damaging several flags, which were put up by the University of Delaware Hillel for Holocaust Remembrance Week.
University leaders said Kandeel was also “yelling hateful antisemitic slurs” during the episode.
In a statement, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings emphasized the country’s history of protecting free speech and political dissent.
“But we need to be lucid enough to recognize the daylight — miles of it, in this case — between protest and hate,” she said, calling the episode a wake-up call in an “increasingly antisemitic climate.”
University police quickly arrested Kandeel and she admitted being responsible for the vandalism, according to the Justice Department.
University leadership said Kandeel’s actions violated the school’s student code of conduct and non-discrimination policy. She has been banned from campus.
Donna Schwartz, executive director of the Hillel at the University of Delaware, called the “intentional destruction” of the display honoring the millions killed in the Holocaust unacceptable.
“We appreciate the university administration’s swift response to address this incident and the clear message that hatred will not be tolerated at the University of Delaware,” said Schwartz.
The damage to the Holocaust display comes almost a year after someone defaced a poster promoting a drag show with a swastika, shaking Jewish and queer communities on campus. That vandalism occurred during a time when antisemitic acts were on the rise as pandemic restrictions eased.
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a surge in antisemitic and anti-Muslim acts across the country, according to organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and Council on American-Islamic Relations. These acts have ranged from vandalism, to the use of ethnic slurs, and assaults.