Jewish groups and leaders were quick to denounce anti-Palestinian hate following the shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Vermont over the weekend.

Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad — all age 20 — were walking near the University of Vermont in the city of Burlington when a gunman shot them, injuring the students and sending them to the hospital. All three students are alive — two were stable as of Sunday and one had sustained more serious injuries, according to police.

The victims — all of whom attend colleges in the northeast region of the US — were reportedly speaking in a mix of English and Arabic and two of them were also wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves at the time of the shooting. Both local and federal authorities are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

The suspect in the shooting, Jason J. Eaton, 48, pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted second-degree murder on Monday and was ordered by a judge to be held without bond.

The Jewish community wasted no time in condemning the shooting, as well as hatred directed against Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians.

“We are aware of the tragic shooting of three college students of apparent Palestinian descent last night in Burlington and share in the concern for their recovery,” the New England office of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tweeted on Sunday. “At a time of rising incidents of identity-based hate all too often targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities in increasingly violent ways, we join in the call to law enforcement to investigate this as a possible hate crime.”

Arizona State Rep. Alma Hernandez (D) posted to social media that Jews stand together against anti-Palestinian hate.

“I don’t know any Jew who is celebrating the shooting of Palestinian students,” Hernandez wrote. “We reject hate and violence against all. And a friendly reminder that just because we always show our support does not mean that others will do so for us, but even if we don’t receive the same support, we must never remain silent…hate and bigotry against anyone should be denounced full stop. I can’t believe this even needs to be said.”

Jewish on Campus, an antisemitism watchdog that tracks anti-Jewish hatred on college campuses, tweeted, “We stand in solidarity with the victims and their families and hope for their quick recoveries. Now and always, we stand against Islamophobia and anti-Arab discrimination.”

Pro-Israel advocates, both Jewish and non-Jewish were also quick to condemn the shooting in Vermont.

“The United States should have zero tolerance for anti-Palestinian hate and violence. America belongs to all Americans, and the safety of each American is sacrosanct,” added Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), a progressive lawmaker who has been a vocal supporter of Israel in the US Congress.

The shooting and show of support for the victims from the Jewish community came amid a rise in anti-Muslim incidents as well as a global surge in antisemitism since Hamas’ massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, with the US and several European countries experiencing record numbers of antisemitic incidents.

College campuses across the West have been hubs of such antisemitism in the weeks since Hamas’ attack, with students and faculty both demonizing Israel and rationalizing Hamas’ terror onslaught. Incidents of harassment and even violence against Jewish students have also increased. As a result, Jewish students have expressed feeling unsafe and unprotected on campuses. In some cases, Jewish communities on campuses have been forced to endure threats of rape and mass slaughter.

A striking 37 percent of Jewish college students reporting feeling the need to hide their Jewish identity on campus since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, according to a poll published last week by Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world.

The survey found that 35 percent of respondents said there have been acts of hate or violence against Jews on campus. A majority of those surveyed said they were unsatisfied with their university’s response to those incidents.

The Biden administration has opened multiple civil rights investigations into universities accused of ignoring antisemitism. The administration has also issued guidance reminding colleges of their obligation to respond to and deter bigotry of all kinds.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

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