A police investigation is underway after a Torah was desecrated during a break-in at a fraternity house this weekend at George Washington University.
The vandalized room held a collection of religious texts, including the Bible; however, only the Torah was damaged. Chris Osborne, president of the Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter, told CNN he believes the vandalism was an anti-Semitic hate crime.
“Our entire chapter is outraged and saddened by this blatant act of antisemitism and violence against our brothers,” the fraternity said in a statement Sunday evening.
THE UNITED NATIONS ENDORSES ANTISEMITISM
The incident allegedly occurred while members of the fraternity were out of the house Saturday night and early Sunday morning, but the break-in and desecration were not discovered until Sunday morning.
According to Osborne, the Torah was torn and covered in blue laundry detergent. Fire alarms were pulled from the walls, hot sauce was splattered across the walls, and other signs of disarray were apparent, according to campus newspaper the Hatchet.
NEW: University President Thomas LeBlanc condemned the vandalism at the Tau Kappa Epsilon on-campus house, calling it an act of antisemitismhttps://t.co/yUviqMNm9Q
— The GW Hatchet (@gwhatchet) November 1, 2021
GWU President Thomas LeBlanc said the campus administration is working with the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and the campus police department to find the person behind the attack.
“I am appalled by the antisemitic vandalism that occurred at the TKE fraternity house, especially the desecration of the Torah scroll,” LeBlanc said in a statement Sunday. “I want to be clear: I condemn all such acts of antisemitism and all forms of hatred, discrimination, and bias in our community. Any act of antisemitism is an attack on the entire GW community and cannot, and will not, be tolerated.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The attack comes after a separate anti-Semitic incident when a female student on the Mount Vernon campus was sent a photo of a swastika. The investigation into the photo is still being conducted, according to the Hatchet.
Approximately a quarter of the GWU student body is Jewish, according to a college guide by Hillel.
