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Two Syracuse University students are facing hate crimes 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” happened, the New York school’s chief student experience officer, Allen Groves, said in a community message.
A student, who is not part of the fraternity, entered the house around 6 p.m. and threw the meat inside while fraternity members were eating dinner, Groves said.
The meat, identified as pork, was in a clear plastic bag and was splattered against an interior wall and the floor, university police said.
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According to Jewish law, consumption of pork is prohibited as pigs are not kosher.
The student then fled the home and got into a vehicle driven by a second student. The two, both 18, were soon captured 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.”
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Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said the hate crime charge came about because it happened on 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 said the two students have been referred to the university’s Office of Community Standards for potential disciplinary action under the school’s Student Conduct Code.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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