A suspect has been charged with a hate crime in connection with a November assault on two Jewish students who were taking part in a pro-Israel demonstration at DePaul University in Chicago, according to statements from the university and local authorities on Thursday.
Two masked men attacked the Jewish students, resulting in minor injuries and raising concern about potential antisemitism on the Catholic campus.
One of the victims was a former member of the Israel Defence Forces who was wearing a sign identifying him as such and inviting conversation, said Josh Weiner, a co-founder of the Chicago Jewish Alliance, who said he knows both victims and had spoken with them since the incident.
Why It’s Important
Rights advocates have noted rising hate against American Jews, Muslims and Arabs since the start of U.S. ally Israel’s military assault on Gaza after an October 2023 attack by Palestinian Islamist Hamas militants.
Key Quotes
“The Chicago Police Department and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed a person of interest tied to the antisemitic attack that occurred at DePaul on November 6, 2024, has been arrested and charged with two counts of a hate crime and two counts of aggravated battery with great bodily harm,” the university said.
Context
The suspect, Adam Erkan, 20, of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, could not immediately be reached for comment. Officials said police were still searching for the second attacker.
CBS News cited one victim as saying he was leading a campus discussion about the war when the assault happened.
In another incident in Illinois related to the Israel-Gaza war, a jury in February found a man guilty of murder and hate crime charges for an October 2023 stabbing that killed a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and severely wounded his mother.
The Chicago Commission on Human Relations reported 50 anti-Jewish hate crimes in the city in the first half of 2024, equal to the number in all of 2023, while finding the number of attacks against Muslims and Arabs was down.
(With inputs from Reuters)
