‘Jews did 9-11’ Painted On University Of Tennessee Campus
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — A rock in the center of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville that students paint with inspirational messages was painted over with a message accusing Jews of being behind the 9-11 attack.
The graffiti painted on The Rock on Wednesday night read, “Jews did 9-11. Google: Dancing Israelis.”
The message that was painted over by the anti-Semitic graffiti was an image of the homemade Tennessee Volunteers T-shirt created by a young boy from Florida for his school’s “collegiate day” and who was bullied over it. The University later offered the fourth grader a four-year scholarship to the school. The University also printed 50,000 copies of the shirt with proceeds of its sale going to the charity Stomp Our Bullying.
In a statement condemning the message painted on the rock, University Chancellor Donde Plowman wrote: ”In one week, the Rock has brought out the best and the worst. We celebrated the outpouring of love for the young Volunteer who made his own T-shirt, and someone beautifully depicted the shirt on the Rock. Last night, someone covered that message of love with an anti-Semitic hate message. We condemn that hate aimed toward members of our Jewish community, and we understand that words are not enough.”
It is at least the third time in the last year the Rock has been painted with anti-Semitic messages or symbols, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. The first occurred in November, when a vigil was held at the Rock after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
And so it continues… @UTKnoxville, you gonna do something about it this time? pic.twitter.com/7k0mK2yDts
— Jaime Marquis (@jaime_marquis) September 12, 2019
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
