Community condemns antisemitism, expresses support for Jewish students following Friday evening attack

Following the incident on Friday evening where a group of Jewish students at Pitt were attacked on their way to a Chabad dinner, community organizations, local politicians and the University administration issued statements expressing their support for the Jewish community at Pitt. 

“Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated. Local and federal partners are supporting Pitt Police in this ongoing investigation,” Pitt said in a statement on Friday. 

According to Pitt Police, a group of Jewish students wearing kippot were walking to a Chabad dinner at 6 p.m. on Friday when an individual attacked them with a glass bottle. 

The assailant, who “has no known affiliation with the University,” was “immediately arrested by Pitt Police” and placed into custody while the two students who were attacked were treated at the scene. 

Chabad at Pitt released a statement on their Instagram account in response to the attack, commending the “strength that a group of Jewish students and Hillel staff” displayed both during and after the incident. 

“Let it be clear once more: antisemitism has no place on this campus or anywhere else. Every Jewish student has the right to practice Judaism safely and happily without the risk of hateful violence,” the statement said.

Hillel JUC also posted a response on social media in the wake of the attack.  

“The University of Pittsburgh has clearly and unequivocally condemned this attack. There is no room on campus for antisemitism, hatred, or violence.”

In an email sent to the Pitt student body on Saturday, Vice Provost of Student Affairs Carla Panzella and Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Clyde Wilson Pickett said “the assault was determined by law enforcement not to be targeted or directed towards any specific group.” 

However, the email also condemned antisemitism and “all forms of hate” within the community. 

“The University is providing additional resources to UPPD to ensure additional security officers are available as escorts to students, faculty, and staff traversing to Friday night services or other events,” Panzella said. “They will also be on call so that members of our community can express their faith without fear of random acts of violence.”

Several politicians including Mayor Ed Gainey, Congresswoman Summer Lee, Senator Bob Casey, Congressman Chris Deluzio and State Representative Dan Frankel all released statements in support of Pitt’s Jewish community. 

“Sending prayers of comfort and healing to the Jewish, University of Pittsburgh students who experienced an unwarranted attack,” Gainey said in an X post on Saturday. “Our universities should be spaces where everyone feels safe to learn and welcomed to be their authentic selves.”

Congresswoman Summer Lee also posted on X in response to KDKA’s reporting of the incident. 

“My heart goes out to the Jewish students who were attacked at the University of Pittsburgh,” Lee said. “Universities are supposed to be sanctuaries where folks from all backgrounds and walks of life can come together and study in safety and security—free to be themselves.”

Pitt Greek organizations Sigma Alpha Mu, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Epsilon Pi and Zeta Beta Tau expressed their support for Pitt’s Jewish community on social media. 

The Muslim Student Association at Pitt also posted a statement of support on Instagram.

“We firmly denounce the misrepresentation of symbols of the Palestinian people, including the keffiyeh, by those like the assailant in yesterday’s attack,” the statement said. 

The perpetrator was reported to have been wearing a keffiyeh, however Pitt Police have not confirmed this detail. 

Students for Justice in Palestine posted a response to the attack on Sunday and emphasized their support for inclusivity and safety on Pitt’s campus. 

“Our thoughts are with the students harmed by this attack, and we wish them a speedy recovery,” the statement said. 

Pittsburgh College Democrats also expressed their support for the community and condemned both antisemitism and political violence of any kind. 

“The College Democrats at Pitt stand with and support the victims and the Jewish community as the investigation goes forward,” the Instagram post said. “All students should have a right to safely express their religious views on campus, and it must be the university’s top priority to explicitly address this incident and take concrete steps to guarantee the safety of our Pitt community moving forward.”

Pittsburgh College Republicans reposted this response on their Instagram story in support. 

Pitt also released a statement on Pitt’s safety alerts website in response to concern from the student body that there was no E.N.S. alert sent out after the attack was reported. 

“Some have asked why no Emergency Notification System (ENS) alert was sent. As there was an immediate arrest and no ongoing threat to the public, no ENS message was sent,” the statement said.