The RCMP is looking into a complaint by a Jewish student on the campus of Vancouver’s University of British Columbia. On July 22, the student found the mezuzah she had put on her door had been “knocked off”, according to Sgt. Chris Manseau of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“It’s the second time it’s happened to her,” he told The CJN Daily in an interview Tuesday.
According to police, the mezuzah—a Jewish religious symbol that contains a parchment symbolizing a blessing for those inside a dwelling—had been removed from the door of the 7th floor unit in one of the UBC residences. The university is keeping the name of the building confidential to protect the victim’s identity.
However, a report in The Ubyssey student newspaper calls the incident “an antisemitic attack”, and added that mezuzah had been “vandalized by three individuals.”
The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver called the incident an example of “Jew hatred on campus” and CEO Ezra Shanken thanked the local Hillel branch for its work on the case.
For its part, the administration at UBC called the incident “completely unacceptable”.
“We are taking it very seriously,” said Andrew Parr, an associate vice-president in charge of student housing and community services, in a written statement. “Behaviour of this type is not acceptable in residence or anywhere else at UBC.”
If the school finds that the suspects are students themselves, they will face “significant repercussions”, UBC said, and that could include eviction.
While media reports said the school reported the case to the police as a hate crime, the RCMP would not comment on what type of charges could be laid.
“UBC RCMP is asking anyone involved to get in touch,” said Sgt. Manseau, adding that investigators want to understand if it was just a prank, or something more serious.
The university has been working to support the Jewish student by educating other residents of the building about what happened and what a mezuzah is. An email from UBC Housing to all students included a link to learn more about the significance of the religious artifact.
