Demand Immediate Action: Confronting Antisemitism and Injustice at the University of Rochester

We – University of Rochester students, alumni, community members, and concerned individuals from the broader community – submit this petition to express our outrage over the administration’s failure to address the most recent antisemitic incident on campus. We demand immediate, decisive action to protect our community from hate and violence. The University’s passive response signals tolerance of hate, creating an environment where antisemitism goes unchecked. 

The “WANTED” fliers posted in the university tunnels constitute a blatant hate crime that publicly incites violence against Jewish faculty and students. This threat to their safety and well-being must not be trivialized. The University’s failure to condemn these fliers as a hate crime, focusing instead on the “vandalism” of posting them, is unacceptable and out of touch with the real threat these hateful messages pose. We demand that this act be officially recognized as a hate crime.

The University’s own Code of Conduct prohibits discrimination and harassment based on religion, creed, or any protected status, defining harassment as behavior that “could reasonably be expected to cause an individual or group to feel intimidated, demeaned, abused, or fearful, or to have concern for their personal safety.” By allowing these fliers to remain in a high-traffic area without immediate, strong condemnation, the administration has failed to uphold its own standards.

We demand the following actions from the University of Rochester, with immediate timelines and transparency:
 1. Publicly Acknowledge this act as antisemitism and a hate crime, not mere “vandalism.” Silence or minimal acknowledgment only enables further hateful actions.
 2. Hold All Responsible Parties Accountable: Identify and discipline individuals and groups involved in the posting of these fliers. Failure to address these actions through meaningful consequences will demonstrate a lack of commitment to safety and justice.
 3. Provide Regular Public Updates: The administration must communicate its actions and progress in addressing antisemitism on campus transparently to rebuild trust with Jewish students, faculty, and the broader community.
 4. Implement Stronger Protections for Jewish Students and Faculty: This includes increased security in vulnerable areas and initiatives to educate the campus community on antisemitism and hate.

The University of Rochester’s failure to act decisively sends a message that antisemitism is tolerable within our community. We demand that the University demonstrate integrity, transparency, and action against hate – because anything less is unacceptable.

*For the safety of those involved, faces and names in the images provided have been blurred.