A swastika with a slash through it was painted onto the front of
the Jewish co-op on Landfair Avenue on Tuesday.
The swastika was scrawled onto the front wall of the co-op
sometime between 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., according to residents
of the building. The swastika appears to have been painted in a
different hue than the slash through it.
University police are investigating the incident as a hate
crime, said Sgt. Mark Littlestone. As of late Tuesday night, they
had no suspects, Littlestone said.
The co-op, known as the Bayit, has a Star of David hung near the
front windows and is located across the street from the Alpha Sigma
Phi fraternity.
Though residents say they are concerned and hurt by the
appearance of the symbol, they also said they were confused as to
what message the cross through the swastika sent.
“It doesn’t fit. It doesn’t make any logical
sense,” said Miriam Lyon, a first-year Greek and Latin
student and resident of the co-op.
Jacob Leven, a first-year mechanical engineering student and
resident of the co-op, said he felt hurt by the swastika, but
added, “It’s not the same sort of feeling you’d
get if it wasn’t crossed out.”
Andy Green, president of the Jewish Student Union, said he
received a phone call from a resident after the swastika was
discovered.
Green said regardless of whether there was a cross through the
swastika, it is still “a symbol of hatred and intolerance in
the modern world.”
“UCLA is a place I feel that provides tolerance and
understanding and diversity, but acts like this make me question
that belief,” Green said.
The incident comes at a particularly important time for the
Jewish community. Holocaust Remembrance Day occurred last week, and
pro-Israel groups on campus are currently celebrating Israel
Independence Week.
Green said he was unsure as to whether the incident was provoked
by the events occurring this week.
Molly Newborn, the house adviser for the co-op, said residents
would probably try to paint over the swastika, and added that as of
now co-op residents are not taking any extra precautions.