Hate crime charges loom after pork tossed into US Jewish fraternity on Rosh Hashanah

SYRACUSE, New York — Two Syracuse University students face US hate crimes charges after authorities say one of them tossed a bag of pork into a Jewish fraternity house during a Rosh Hashanah celebration.

The incident occurred around 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house, where members had gathered to mark the Jewish New Year, according to the New York school’s chief student experience officer, Allen Groves.

One of the two men charged is accused of entering the home and tossing a clear plastic bag of pork against an interior wall, splattering the contents there and on the floor, university police said.

The man then fled the home and got into a vehicle driven by another man. The two, both 18, were soon captured and have been charged with burglary as a hate crime and criminal nuisance.

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 men have been referred to the university’s Office of Community Standards for potential disciplinary action under the school’s Student Conduct Code.

“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 in a statement posted on the university’s website. “It will not be tolerated at Syracuse University.”