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Jewish University of Pittsburgh student attacked by group

Jewish University of Pittsburgh student attacked by group

A Jewish student at the University of Pittsburgh was attacked on Saturday for the second time in a month in what may have been an anti-Semitic hate crime, according to several US news sites and police.

The incident, which occurred around 2 a.m. Friday, is being investigated separately by the FBI and the University of Pittsburgh Police, NBC reported. Police classified it as a hate crime/hate assault.

According to police reports, the unidentified student was leaving the university campus when a group of six to eight men attacked him.

According to Chabad of Pitt, the student was wearing a Star of David necklace.

The victim told police that when the group saw his necklace, they “hurt insults about Israel” and at least three of them punched and kicked him, according to CBS and Chabad.

A Star of David necklace. (Source: PIXABAY)

“The actors used anti-Semitic language,” University of Pittsburgh Police said in a news release. “A bystander intervened and stopped the attack.”

The victim reportedly suffered a bruised lip.

University police released a campus security alert following the attack, as well as details of three of the suspects, whom they described as men between the ages of 20 and 24. The three weighed between 170 and 200 pounds, and two were over 6 feet tall.

The FBI is investigating the attack to determine whether it is a federal hate crime.

Responses from universities and Jewish groups

In a statement Friday, the University of Pittsburgh said it “unequivocally condemns anti-Semitism.”

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“Any violence or anti-Semitic acts against our community will not be tolerated, regardless of who it comes from or against whom it is directed. Hate of any kind has no place in our community.”

Shawn Brokos, community safety director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said the incident was “very disheartening to learn about.”

“Our Jewish students need to feel safe moving around on or off campus.”

Chabad at Pitt Rabbi Shmuli Rothstein said, “Seeing someone’s religion shouldn’t trigger something in you that beats the crap out of them.”

“There is despicable hate on Pitt’s campus,” he wrote on Instagram.

Jeffrey Finkelstein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said: “Anti-Semitic attacks are completely unacceptable and we will do everything we can to create a safe environment for Jewish citizens throughout the Pittsburgh area.”

Previous attack on Jewish students

In an earlier incident on August 29, two Jewish students were attacked with a glass bottle by a man named Jarrett Buba.

Buba was charged with two counts of simple assault and two counts of aggravated assault.

Two of the students received medical attention at the scene after being hit by the bottle. The suspect behind the attack was arrested by Pittsburgh police, and the university said the suspect was unrelated to the institution of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of harassment and one count of resisting arrest.

Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.