A student’s mezuzah was taken from the door of their Weinstein Hall dorm on Saturday, an incident Campus Safety head Fountain Walker said will be investigated as a “disgraceful” antisemitic hate crime. Walker told WSN the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life provided the student with a new mezuzah.
In a universitywide email sent Tuesday, Walker acknowledged the incident and said that “theft or vandalism of religious objects, symbols and spaces is utterly at odds with our university’s values and a gross violation of our rules, and is being treated accordingly.” NYU is investigating the incident in cooperation with the New York City Police Department.
NYU Hillel President and Tisch senior Benjamin Meppen said in a statement to WSN that he is “incredibly appreciative and grateful” for the university’s swift response to the incident. Meppen said that he did not know the identity of the victim and could not confirm whether they were a part of NYU Hillel.
“This incident is unacceptable but intolerable, especially at the outset of a new school year, when building community is at the forefront of our minds,” Meppen said. “The staff and students of our Jewish community, along with the administration, are working tirelessly to continue to ensure that our NYU and greater downtown Jewish communities are safe, protected.”
The incident was also reported to Title VI coordinator David Krieger, who was appointed in March as the first to hold a position of his kind across American universities. NYU agreed to create the position after reaching a settlement with Jewish students who alleged the university was indifferent to instances of antisemitism since the start of protests against Israel’s ongoing siege in Gaza.
The Muslim Student Association and Black Muslim Initiative also condemned the incident on their Instagram accounts on Wednesday.
“This item, not only being of spiritual significance to the Jewish community, but also an item that takes courage to put out to the world to announce their identity, makes this hate crime especially disheartening to hear,” the organizations said. “As Muslim student leaders, we are against any and all forms of hate.”
Hate crimes committed against religious symbols and practices at NYU have surged since the war in Gaza began. In April 2025, the Muslim prayer room in Bobst Library was vandalized — an incident which included urination on prayer mats and illustrations depicting male genitalia across the room’s walls. President Linda Mills said she was “stunned” days after the reported hate crime had taken place.
Contact Kaitlyn Sze Tu at [email protected].
