Two Syracuse University students are facing hate crime charges after authorities say one of them threw a bag of pork into a Jewish fraternity house during a Rosh Hashanah celebration on Tuesday. Members of Zeta Beta Tau gathered at their fraternity house to mark the Jewish New Year when the “deeply troubling incident” occurred, according to the university’s chief student experience officer, Allen Groves, in a community message.
The incident unfolded when a student, who is not affiliated with the fraternity, entered the house around 6 p.m. and threw the meat inside while fraternity members were eating dinner, Groves stated. The pork, identified as non-kosher, was in a clear plastic bag and splattered against an interior wall and the floor, university police reported.
The student then fled the home and got into a vehicle driven by a second student. The two, both 18, were soon captured and charged with burglary as a hate crime and criminal nuisance. “Tonight’s incident as reported to us is abhorrent, shocking to the conscience, and violates our core value of being a place that is truly welcoming to all,” Groves said. “It will not be tolerated at Syracuse University.”
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick stated that the hate crime charge arose due to the incident occurring during a Jewish holiday at a historically Jewish fraternity. “This incident is not a foolish college prank and will not be treated as such,” Fitzpatrick said. “It will be treated for what it is, a crime directed against a group of Jewish students enjoying a celebratory dinner and seemingly secure in their residence.”
Groves mentioned that both students have been referred to the university’s Office of Community Standards for potential disciplinary action under the school’s student conduct code. The university has also condemned the act and is considering further measures to address the situation. The Associated Press contributed to this report.