Another Hate Crime at Columbia's Teacher College

A spray-painted swastika was found on the door of a Columbia University Teacher's College professor yesterday morning. Professor Elizabeth Midlarsky, who is Jewish and researches the Holocaust, said she had been "more public" about her work on the Holucaust, "I think there's a very hate-filled person who is an extreme coward. It makes my blood run cold."

Midlarsky had received an anti-Semitic flier in her school mailbox on October 17. On October 24, she received two copies of the same flier. Midlarsky's husband laid blame on a recent Columbia speaker's appearance, "It's all fallout from Ahmadinejad. The next step is physical violence, and that's what I'm worried about."

The NYPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime. No word on whether Columbia handed over surveillance tapes to the NYPD quickly. Last month, a noose was found outside the door of a black professor's office at Teacher's College, and then a few days later, anti-Semitic graffiti was found in another Columbia building. A Teacher's College student, Jasmine Alvarez, who is also a TC Student Senate diversity representative told the Columbia Spectator, “There’s always going to be someone working against us building a stronger community. It’s disappointing, but I’m not surprised.”