Protest, chalk graffiti follow Israeli soldier's speaking event at University of Minnesota

Sofia Barnett, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Apr 19, 2026

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Graffiti appeared outside the Chabad house at the University of Minnesota this weekend after a pro-Palestinian protest was held during a Friday night Shabbat dinner featuring a speaker who had served in the Israeli military.

The demonstration and graffiti, which included messages including “death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]” scribbled in chalk on the sidewalk, were just the latest evidence of rising tensions on campus over the war in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces has faced heightened criticism on college campuses nationwide amid the ongoing war, and appearances by current or former soldiers have drawn demonstrations at universities across the country.

Leaders at the Chabad Jewish student center said demonstrators gathered outside the house during the Friday event, where the guest speaker addressed students.

A campus chapter of Students for a Democratic Society had urged students to attend a “noise demo” earlier that day, encouraging participants to bring “pots/pans, whistles, instruments” and saying the protest would show that “UMN does not support genocide.”

Stephanie Iskhakov, director of development and operations at Chabad at the University of Minnesota, said tensions on campus have been building in recent months.

“On campus, it’s been quite tense between Jewish students and the anti-Zionist students,” she said. “There was profanity, swearing. There was actually a dildo thrown on our property, over our fence. There was someone with … a fan that had the C word on it.”

She described the scene as “beyond vulgar,” adding that families, including children, live at the house.

By the next day, chalk graffiti covered the sidewalk outside the building. Among the messages were “child killers,” “Free Gaza,” “the only good fascist is a dead one” and “IDF murderers supported here.”

On Sunday, members of Chabad’s student board planned to cover the chalk graffiti with drawings of flowers, hearts and peace signs.

“They still came to celebrate their religion and their Judaism,” Iskhakov said of students who attended Friday’s Shabbat dinner. “They weren’t afraid.”

She said the group hopes to respond by “doing the opposite … filling it with some light.”

No police report was filed in response to the graffiti. University officials and law enforcement responses were not immediately available Sunday.