Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Jewish Professor Finds Swastikas Outside Her Office At Columbia Teachers College
By
Arun Venugopal
and
WNYC Staff
Published Nov 28, 2018
Modified Dec 8, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Arun Venugopal
and
WNYC Staff
Published Nov 28, 2018
Modified Dec 8, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Jewish professor's office at Columbia Teachers College was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti, including swastikas and an anti-Semitic slur.
Elizabeth Midlarsky, a professor of psychology and education who researches the Holocaust, said she arrived at work at around 1 p.m. today and found large swastikas scrawled on the walls just outside her office. The word "YID" was also spray-painted on a wall.
“I was in a state of shock,” she said, adding that she’s an organ donor recipient who’s been dealing with health issues.
This is not the first time Midlarsky's office was vandalized. In 2007, she discovered a swastika spray-painted on her office door, as well as anti-Semitic flyers in her mailbox.
Today, she alerted Columbia security, which arrived within half an hour, by her account. She also received a visit from Teachers College president Thomas Bailey and the NYPD. A spokesperson for Teachers College said, "The matter is now under investigation by the NYPD, to whom we reported the incident immediately upon discovery. All further questions should be directed to the NYPD at this time."
Gothamist and WNYC received this tip through ProPublica's Documenting Hate project.
According to the NYPD, there were 309 hate crimes reported as of November 7th of this year—a slight increase from 2017, a year that saw a dramatic spike in hate crimes both in New York City and nationwide. (Over half of those reported NYC hate crimes, 159, were anti-Semitic in nature.) Earlier this month, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said that the rise in hate crimes was, in part, due to the "current atmosphere" of heightened racial and religious rhetoric.
Among Midlarsky’s areas of expertise is how non-Jews helped Jews during the Holocaust.
"It's amazing, because I've always been looking at the good guys,” she said. “Not the violence. And I’m experiencing something that’s more on the violent end of things."
Update: Teachers College President Bailey just issued this letter:
To the TC Community:
As you may already have heard, the office of a Teachers College faculty member has been defaced with swastikas.
We unequivocally condemn any expression of hatred, which has no place in our society. We are outraged and horrified by this act of aggression and use of this vile anti-Semitic symbol against a valued member of our community.
Please rest assured that we are working with police to discover the perpetrator of this hateful act. I also want to reaffirm the College’s commitment - and my own - to providing a respectful and welcoming environment for all, and to protecting the safety and dignity of all members of our community.
Thomas Bailey
President
Arun Venugopal is a reporter who focuses on issues of race and immigration. You can follow him on Twitter at @arunNYC.
With additional reporting by Jen Chung
Tagged
anti semitism
columbia university
hate crimes
teacher's college
Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
Read more
WNYC Staff
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Gatorade recall affects drinks sold in New York and New Jersey
More than 122,000 cases are being recalled over undeclared food dyes.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:36 p.m. ET
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
By
Elizabeth Kim
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .