Violence and threats continue as Jewish students attacked at University of Pittsburgh

Police at the University of Pittsburgh have arrested a suspect in the attack on two Jewish students on campus August 30.

The students, who were wearing traditional Jewish yarmulkes, were attacked with a glass bottle at around 11:30 p.m. near the university’s Cathedral of Learning. One of the students was treated by medical personnel at the scene of the attack.

Witnesses said the suspect, identified by police as 52-year-old Jarrett Buba, was wearing a kaffiyeh, a checkered scarf widely worn across the Middle East and often used to show solidarity with Palestinians and the Hamas terror group responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that claimed over 1,000 lives and more than 200 hostages.

Buba, who has no known affiliation with the university, was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, and harassment. 

University of Pittsburgh officials said in a statement that following the attack they contacted the Hillel Jewish University Center, a Jewish presence on campus, as well as the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. “To be clear, neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated,” the statement said. 

The Hillel Jewish University Center said in a statement that “the safety of our Jewish students remains a priority, and we will continue to be a home away from home for them, providing them with care, support, and community.” 

Similarly, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said: “No Jewish student should be afraid or be under threat of violence while walking on or near campus. There is no place for antisemitism, hate, or violence in our community. And while we are saddened by this, we are grateful for the ongoing collaboration with Hillel JUC, our university leaders, and law-enforcement.” 

State and local government officials also weighed in.  

“As an investigation proceeds, let me be clear: antisemitism and hate-fueled violence of any kind has no place in our Commonwealth,” Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote on X. 

“Our universities should be spaces where everyone feels safe to learn and welcomed to be their authentic selves,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey wrote on X. “We will continue to extend our support to Pitt Police and local authorities as it is our hope to eradicate any act of violence in our city.” 

Threats against Jewish students have been increasing on university campuses across the U.S since the Hamas attack against Israel a year ago.  

As reported recently in The Lion, a survey of 1,171 Jewish college students and recent grads by Alums for Campus Fairness found that 58% of Jewish students reported they had been physically threatened because they are Jewish or knew a fellow Jewish student who had been threatened. Additionally, 44% of Jewish college students said they either never or rarely feel safe identifying as Jewish at school. 

During a February roundtable hosted by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Education and Workforce Committee, Jewish students recalled the violence and threats they have faced since October 2023. Talia Khan, a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), testified that “in the past five months, I have become traumatized.” Khan, president of the MIT Israel Alliance, claimed that MIT has become “overrun with toxic antisemitism” and by “terrorist supporters that directly threaten the lives of Jews on our campus.” 

Eden Yadegar, a student at Columbia University and president of Students Supporting Israel on campus, testified of Jewish students being assaulted outside the school library by individuals with sticks, and told of how she has been verbally harassed on campus and on social media.  

“We have been attacked with sticks outside our library,” she said. “We have been attacked by angry mobs and we have been threatened to ‘Keep f***ing running.’” 

In April of this year the violence and threats against Jewish students became so intense at universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, that some Jewish leaders urged Jewish students to go home until the threats subsided.  

Rabbi Elie Buechler from Columbia University’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative urged hundreds of Jewish students to leave campus for their own safety. “It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved,” Buechler wrote, noting that both university police and the NYPD had said they could not guarantee the safety of Jewish students.