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The Chabad Jewish Center serving students at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing suffered two antisemitic attacks last week, according to local police.
Just after midnight last Tuesday, a vandal repeatedly threw rocks at the Chabad building. City officials said no one was inside at the time, and the center’s reinforced glass largely held.
On Thursday, the building was targeted again. Police said a suspect spray-painted Nazi swastikas on the front door before throwing more rocks. This time, the center confirmed that a window was broke.
Police Investigate Possible Linked Hate Crimes
The East Lansing Police Department believes the same individual carried out both attacks. Investigators are treating the incidents as possible linked hate crimes.
City officials have asked the public to share tips or video footage that could help identify the suspect.
East Lansing Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in investigation of possible hate crimes: https://t.co/Ik6Lq3DGoc pic.twitter.com/g3z6wROoCJ
— City of East Lansing (@CityofEL) December 19, 2025
Chabad Responds With Resolve
After the second attack, the MSU Jewish center said the incidents were deeply upsetting but stressed they would not allow intimidation to derail their work.
“We are guided by the message of Chanukah — when darkness increases, so must light. Retreat has never been the Jewish response,” Rabbi Bentzy and Simi Shemtov said.
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University Condemns Antisemitism
Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz said the incidents near campus troubled him. He spoke in the context of heightened global concern following the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia.
“Acts such as these reverberate far beyond physical damage,” Guskiewicz said. He added that the university “unequivocally condemns antisemitism in all its forms, as well as hatred, harassment and violence directed at any individual or group.”
The police investigation remains ongoing.
The attack follows another recent act of antisemitic violence on a U.S. campus, where an arsonist targeted San Francisco Hillel as students prepared for Shabbat — highlighting a broader pattern of escalating threats against Jewish institutions.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
