The students allegedly sang happy birthday and ate cakes decorated with “hateful and horrific symbols” on April 20, Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, vice chancellor for student affairs and success, said in a news release published Sunday.
This is one of two antisemitic incidents that occurred on or near the campus involving UCSC students in the same week, Bradley-Armstrong said.
The university received another report that a student found an antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ flyer on their car windshield in downtown Santa Cruz on April 21, officials said.
Information about both incidents was shared with the campus community on April 28. Scott Hernandez-Jason, a spokesperson for the university, told SFGATE that no additional information is available at this time, including about whether the events are connected.
Bradley-Armstrong said the on-campus party is being investigated by the student conduct department. The university has also asked city officials to assist in the downtown incident involving the flyer, she added.
The university condemned both incidents, saying they are part of a “national trend of increased antisemitic rhetoric and violence.”
Several antisemitic incidents have occurred in the Bay Area in recent years, including an alleged hate crime against a Jewish man in San Francisco in December 2022, and a Hayward teacher who allegedly distributed antisemitic classroom materials in February.
The Santa Cruz Police Department did not immediately respond to SFGATE’s request for comment.
Some students, including those in an official student organization for Jewish students, expressed disappointment following the incidents.
“The Jewish Student Union feels numb in the way that this is not the first time we have experienced this type of hate on the UCSC campus,” the university’s Jewish Student Union said in a social media statement. “Although we appreciate the campus wide email that was sent out, what we really need is action from our administration.”
Some individuals on a Reddit thread with nearly 300 comments alleged that last week’s reports were not the first antisemitic incidents to occur on campus.
“The Jewish students have been talking about antisemitism is on the rise here,” one user wrote. “It’s 100% a issue on our campus and so far administration hasn’t treated it seriously or taken any action.”
Bradley-Armstrong said the university is offering counseling and psychological services, and resource centers for students and employees.
