(JEWISH GROUP) Man arrested for setting fire to SF Hillel while students inside preparing for Shabbat
A man has been arrested for arson on suspicion of starting a dumpster fire outside San Francisco Hillel on December 5 while the members were inside.
The arson attack occurred while the Hillel student team was inside the building, preparing for the final Shabbat of the term. The dumpster fire spread to the building, and while no one was hurt in the attack, it caused “significant damage.”
Hillel confirmed that there was pervasive smoke damage throughout the building and the plumbing was damaged too. While the Torah scrolls were safe, they are being assessed for smoke damage.
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The Hillel house has been targeted before; at a similar time last year, the building was vandalized with slogans invoking Islamic war against Jews and anti-Western symbols, including the word “Khaybar,” a Saudi Arabian oasis where Mohammed led his followers in a war against Jews that ultimately resulted in massacres and expulsions.
The chant “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed will return” is commonly heard at anti-Israel protests and is seen by many as a threat of violence against Jews.
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