SCAD says it’s investigating antisemitic social media post

The Savannah College of Art and Design said it is investigating a viral social media post of an alleged “No Jews” party invitation on campus.

SCAD said its initial investigation into the Snapchat screenshot has turned up no evidence that such a party actually occurred on SCAD property nor was any “discriminatory signage” found on campus, according to a university statement. 

The person who posted the picture “is not a currently enrolled student at SCAD.” University leadership was made aware of the post on Thursday evening, it said. 

The anti-Semitic screenshot comes at a time of heightened political tension and fear on U.S. college campuses by Jewish students as well as pro-Palestinian ones. 

Authorities have taken increased notice since protests exploded on university campuses last year against Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians during its war against Hamas. Some protests were organized by SCAD students in Atlanta and Savannah.

The viral post has been elevated by the StopAntisemitism account on X, a group with a major online following and known for its pointed digital activism since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. 

The post shows a series of Snapchat stories added to a “SCAD 2028” tag. It shows a poster on a table stating there will be a party at “The Hive,” the university’s complex of dorms, cafe and convenience store near West Oglethorpe Avenue and the entrance to U.S. 17.  The poster lists out items to bring, and the words spell out the phrase, “No Jews.”

Jewish-affiliated groups in Savannah, which is the home of one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the nation and in the South, have decried the post. 

“This blatant antisemitism is unacceptable,” the Savannah Jewish Federation wrote in a statement. The group said it was working with the Savannah Police Department. The Current contacted Richard Ray, the SJF’s security director, and he declined to comment beyond the statement.

The Chabad of Savannah, a SCAD Jewish student group, wrote it was saddened by the post and stated hate had no place on campus. In an update to the post, the group said it heard from SCAD.

“The Dean of Students informed us earlier today that this individual dropped out of SCAD last quarter with no current access to any SCAD facilities. We are extremely grateful to SCAD administration for their swift and immediate response to this hateful act,” the group wrote on Instagram on Friday. 

Later on Friday, U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter posted on his X social media account in reaction to social media reports: “I am calling on @SCADdotedu President Paula Wallace to publicly denounce this disgusting act of antisemitism on her campus and hold the responsible students accountable. Hatred has no place in Georgia.”