Two Jewish students at DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus who were visibly showing support for Israel were punched by a pair of men who made antisemitic comments toward them Wednesday, according to the university’s president and Chicago police.
The alleged attack on the Jewish students Wednesday around 3:20 p.m. in front of the Student Center at 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., President Robert Manuel said in a letter to students and faculty. He said the students sustained physical injuries but declined medical treatment.
Chicago police said in an alert Thursday evening that the unknown attackers approached the two victims on foot and made antisemitic remarks before punching them. They struck one victim, a 27-year-old man, in his face and body, before pushing the other victim, a 21-year-old man, to the ground and fled northbound, police said.
Police also released images of the suspects in the attack and asked the public for help finding them.
Both suspects were described as 20-year-old men and estimated to be between 150 and 170 pounds. One man, between 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 11 inches tall, was last seen in a black T-shirt, pants and black shoes. The second man, estimated to be about 6 feet tall, was last seen in a white T-shirt, black balaclava, khaki pants and white sneakers.
“We are outraged that this occurred on our campus,” Manuel said in the letter. “It is completely unacceptable and a violation of DePaul’s values to uphold and care for the dignity of every individual.”
“We will continue to do everything possible to ensure DePaul is a safe and welcoming space for every member of our diverse university community,” he also said. “We recognize that for a significant portion of our Jewish community, Israel is a core part of their Jewish identity. Those students — and every student — should feel safe on our university campus.”
Police said no suspects were in custody and that they are investigating the incident, which is currently classified as a battery. Manuel said the university was working with police to determine whether to classify the attack as a hate crime. The alert released Thursday evening described the alleged attack as a battery/hate crime.
Manuel said anyone with information on the attack should contact DePaul Public Safety at 773-325-7777 for Lincoln Park or 312-362-8400 for the Loop campus.
baiduhai’s Caroline Kubzansky contributed.