Vandalism of the Sukkah Was Hateful

To the Editors of The Crimson:

Whenever an individual has personal property vandalized by others, we understand immediately the feelings of assault, anger, and victimization that individual experiences. Such acts and such feelings are common in the disorder and violence which so characterizes and afflicts contemporary life.

But what are we to say when an act of vandalism is carried out in an orderly, premeditated fashion and the focus of that act is a religious structure for a community of brothers and sisters who have suffered centuries of harassment and horrors? At the present time, these are the only three facts we all know about the vandalism of Hillel's sukkah at the corner of Holyoke and Winthrop Sts.

The first thing we say is we are with you in your shock, anger and sorrow. With you we ask how long must anyone endure abuse of any kind simply because God made them different in any way whatsoever from others or from a majority? We pray for the day when we can all live in peace and justice with one another. We pledge ourselves to working together constructively to make that common prayer a collective reality.

The second thing we say is a prayer of thanksgiving that, however offensive the vandalism of a religious structure, no one was physically injured by the weakening of that structure. It could have been otherwise for the children who were reported to be the first to enter the sukkah the last Saturday morning of Sukkot. Our thanksgiving does not detract from the gravity of the offense. Rather, it is an expression of our reverence for the safety of every child of God and our hope that through conversation and reflection we can grow in our capacity to respect and care for all of creation.

The third thing we say is we cannot be diverted from what is most important about this act of vandalism by debating whether it was a prank or an act of racism or anti-Semitism. The absence of some of the explicit evidence of a hate crime, such as slogans or swastikas, does not alter the implicit experience of many who feel the consequences of the crime most directly.

That we could be more interested in speculation about motives or put more energy into rationalizations as to whether this act of vandalism does not meet the "standards" (!) of a hate crime is an indictment of our reluctance to face the two facts we all know: It was premeditated and occurred against a Jewish religious structure during the observance of the holiday Sukkot.

A final word to the vandals. Perhaps you would deny any racist or anti-Semitic motivation. Perhaps you believe you were just letting off some steam with a harmless prank. That you could continue with such illusion and ignorance bespeaks a need for a response full of both candor and compassion.

The facts are these: What you did was experienced as hateful not only by many Jews but also by others in the University community; you are lucky what you did was discovered before innocent people were physically injured. Unburden yourself of your guilt and commit yourself to a better understanding of others in a community characterized by justice and peace. The Rev. G. Stewart Barnes   President, The United Ministry at   Harvard and Radcliffe