Party invite declaring ‘No Jews’ prompts immediate action from college officials

Since the Hamas-led massacre and attacks on southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, there has been an unprecedented global surge in antisemitism. One area where this alarming trend has been especially visible is on college campuses across the United States. While many incidents have occurred in colleges and universities, predominantly in larger cities, recent concerns have emerged at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), highlighting the widespread nature of this growing issue.

A party flyer was posted online that included a list of instructions for a party written in micrographic form, within letters spelling out the phrase “No Jews.”

Jewish leaders in the community praised SCAD for their "swift action" in implementing an investigation and making clear their intolerance of antisemitism. “We are proud as the Jewish Community of SCAD and will not feel safe if nothing is done,” stated SCAD Hillel in an Instagram post.

The Chabad of Savannah also released a post on Instagram, stating, “We are deeply disturbed and saddened by the antisemitic event that occurred at SCAD, where a party invitation stated that no Jews were welcome. This type of hate has no place on [a] campus in our community or anywhere in society.”

The Savannah Jewish Federation condemned the incident in an Instagram post, stating that it was working with school officials and police to coordinate a response.

“At this juncture, our priorities are the welfare of the Jewish community,” the federation’s post read. “Appropriate disciplinary measures, and education to ensure [non-]Jewish students understand the nature and history of antisemitism and why such an invitation is beyond the pale.”

The Anti-Defamation League reported a record-breaking number of antisemitic incidents last year, many of which were linked to protests over Israel’s war in Gaza. In response, the Trump administration has imposed severe penalties on schools it claims have failed to sufficiently protect their Jewish students.

Just hours after Harvard University declined to implement government-mandated leadership and policy reforms, Trump announced that more than $2.2 billion in federal grants would be frozen, along with $60 million in contracts. He also threatened to revoke the university’s tax-exempt status, escalating tensions between the federal government and institutions of higher education.

Additionally, as part of a “comprehensive review,” officials will assess whether to halt the $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University due to the school’s “ongoing inaction in the face of relentless harassment of Jewish students,” according to the Jewish Chronicle.

Regarding the SCAD incident, authorities concluded that the individual responsible for the post was not an enrolled student. In addition, the school found no evidence of any party or signage targeting Jewish students, SCAD stated in an email response.

“There was no party,” said Rabbi Zalman Refson, co-director of Chabad of Savannah. “It was clearly just, obviously, just to either show his disdain for the Jewish community, or he’s going through a mental episode, and we’re not quite sure just yet.”

“The investigation is ongoing to confirm that no current member of the SCAD community was involved in the creation of the social media post or related activities,” the school responded. “SCAD leadership is reaching out to students, faculty, and staff who have been affected by the social media post to offer support and resources.”

“There’s a lot of outside parties, like a lot of outside aggravators, who are stirring up a lot of the hate, which seems to be the case in other schools as well,” Refson stated. “We hope that he [the original poster of the party invite] comes to his senses in some way, and nothing illegal was done. So it’s hard to penalize, but we do know that if he was at SCAD, he would have been expelled instantly.”