AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — The University of Massachusetts Amherst Hillel House was defaced with red spray paint on Holocaust Remembrance Day, school officials said.

The off-campus center of Jewish life was found with the word “Palestine” written in Arabic with red spray paint Tuesday morning. In an email to the UMass community, Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy called the graffiti a “cowardly act of hate.”

“In this period of global crisis, it is more important than ever that we reject hatred and intolerance,” Subbaswamy said in the statement. “The hateful actions of any individual cannot change that, and will, in fact, strengthen our resolve to stand in solidarity with the members of our Jewish community.”


Amherst police responded to the off-campus house and are investigating the incident. No additional information was immediately available.