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Student 2nd victim of recent hate crimes

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by Megan Costello

Thursday, September 30, 2004

Madison has dealt with recent sexual assaults, physical attacks and robberies, but for the second time this month, hate crime has struck the city.

UW senior and women’s track athlete Yael Peled was the victim of a hate crime last week. While she attended class inside Grainger Hall, Peled’s scooter was defaced. Over her “I (heart) Israel” sticker was written “Die Jew” in permanent marker.

The event occurred sometime between 11 and 12:15 in the afternoon.

Peled, a native of Israel, said the event is disturbing and sad.

“I’ve gotten the Israeli comments before, but the Jew slander is new. And I’m really concerned,” she added.

Peled, whose grandparents are survivors of the Holocaust, said the incident does not make her feel welcome on campus.

“It’s Madison,” Peled said. “This is supposed to be the most liberal place on earth.”

Peled said she has dealt with common ignorance when people were surprised to find she was an Israeli Jew.

“Those times aren’t necessarily negative, sometimes people are just ignorant,” Peled added.

Peled filed a report with the UWPD after the incident and also contacted the Jewish Community Center.

Shirin Ezekiel, who worked with Peled following the crime, works at both the Madison Jewish Community Council and Hillel, where she handles Israeli programming. She also provides outreach help to students dealing with hate-crime-related issues.

Ezekiel said Peled was particularly upset with the defacing because it was on her scooter and over a sticker expressing her love for Israel.

“This was personal for her because it was a mix of being both Israeli and Jewish,” Ezekiel said.

Even with support from her teammates, friends and coaches, Peled said the event is still troublesome.

“The fact that nobody knows those things exist makes you feel good on one hand because they’re not that common,” Peled said. “But it’s concerning at the same time, too, because they do happen.”

According to Lt. Mary Schauf of the Madison Police Department, hate crimes are not common in Madison, but they do occur.

Lt. Karen Soley of the UWPD agreed.

“We average about one or two hate crimes a year. What’s really surprising is it will be the second one this month,” Soley said.

A detective has been assigned to the case, which is an ongoing investigation.

“We take these kinds of crimes very seriously, especially when they are undercurrent with other crimes,” Schauf said.

Detectives and officers go through specialized training for hate crimes, Schauf added. To combat such offensive acts, the police also provide extra patrolling in areas known to be problematic.

Working with the Jewish community and organizations during holy days is another means to stamp out local hate crimes, Schauf said.

But graffiti crimes are particularly hard to solve, she said.

“Following up with graffiti or defacing are very difficult to solve because you have to literally catch someone doing it,” Schauf said.

Eyal Halamish, a Jewish student, agreed crimes of this nature are unsettling.

“[The crimes are] something that’s always kept under the table,” Halamish, a UW sophomore, said. “Every once in a while you hear about it. The Jewish community knows about it but other people don’t really recognize it.”

Halamish said just because the Holocaust is over doesn’t mean Jewish hate crimes or other religious or racial hate crimes do not exist. For Halamish, hate crimes are something that reminds him of where he comes from and the reality of the world he lives in.

“There’s still so much more to accomplish and realize about these kinds of crimes,” he said.

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Anonymous (September 30, 2004 @ 9:39am):

What was the first hate crime this month?

Anonymous (September 30, 2004 @ 9:54am):

The first hate crime was that pair of guys dressed up in weird costumes that had a skull and were yelling at people at the Memorial Union bus stop to "learn english." Classy.

While this was certainly a distressing event for Peled, she can always get another sticker. At least there was no violence in either of these incidents. Some people are not as fortunate.

Anonymous (September 30, 2004 @ 3:38pm):

The more I see of Madison, the less I beleive it lives up to it's reputation as a "tolerant" city. Events like this, escalating violence and crimes, and no real outcry from the student body all reinforce the truth behind this observation.

Anonymous (September 30, 2004 @ 3:41pm):

Also, a swaztica and the words "whore" and other anti-semetic remarks were spray painted on the state capitol a few days ago. Why this is not publicized as a hate crime is beyond me. Perhaps it is because it did not receive much, if any press, in the student papers.

Anonymous (September 30, 2004 @ 3:41pm):

Anonymous (September 30, 2004 @ 9:32pm):

It looks to me like the liberals in Madison make an exception when it comes to victimizing Jews. I think it's time liberals in this town got a kick in the butt for their hypocrasy. How long do they really expect to get away with it?

Anonymous (September 30, 2004 @ 11:04pm):

What kind of loser would put a sticker like that on their stupid moped.

Anonymous (November 1, 2004 @ 11:11am):

Let's not let a few fools get the better of us. I believe that this group of ignorant folks does not represent the majority of the student body. Not to say that we are overreacting, but it only takes one person to "pull off" any of these antics.