Editor’s note: This article contains details about anti-Semitism and references to the Holocaust.

A Syracuse University professor was threatened by an anonymous email sent to her that contained hostile, anti-Semitic language and referenced the Holocaust.

Genevieve García de Müeller, a professor of writing, rhetoric and composition, told The Daily Orange that she received the message around 10:40 a.m. The email, sent via anonymousemail, told her to “get in the oven where you belong.” It ended by using an anti-Semitic slur.

The subject line of the email read “JEW.”

Müeller said she called the Department of Public Safety after receiving the email. DPS directed her to the Syracuse Police Department because the incident occurred while she was off-campus, she said. She also tweeted a screenshot of the email sent to her at about noon on Tuesday.

SPD said the department would look at the email in the same situation as the swastika that was found near The 505 on Walnut on Thursday evening, Müeller said. At the time of interview, Müeller had not heard from SPD since about 11:30 a.m.

“Immediately, I thought of the safety of my family,” Müeller said of the email. “I don’t know who would’ve sent it. I don’t know who knows I’m Jewish. It’s not something I talk about in class necessarily, but it was very personal to me.”

SPD spokesperson Sgt. Matthew Malinowski said he could not provide any information on the matter as of about 6:30 p.m. There was a lack of readily available information on him, he said, because he was away from his office at the time.

Müeller said her department head immediately reached out to her, as well as many of her colleagues and students. She had not been in contact with any SU administrators as of 3:30 p.m. She was surprised she hadn’t heard from university administration by now, she said.

“This is not something that’s new to campus,” Müeller said. “So, this may feel very threatening and very real and a moment of panic, but this is deeply embedded in the culture and history of SU.”

Müeller said the university should take everything into context and understand that a response is needed to make students and faculty feel safe and welcomed on campus.

Mueller said she had been spending time with friends, family and colleagues but was worried about her safety. Since a slew of hate crimes and bias-related incidents occurred, she said she did not feel safe on campus — particularly after the swastika found Thursday.

“I am afraid within my own experience, but even more than that. I care about my students, and I care about my colleagues, and I care about people on campus, and I’m not the only one who receives threats like this,” she said. “So yes, I want a personal response, but more important than that, I want to see something happen.”

She canceled class on Tuesday after a white supremacist manifesto was posted on a discussion forum on Greekrank.com late Monday night. A link to the manifesto was allegedly AirDropped to students’ cellphones in Bird Library on Tuesday. Since Nov. 7, at least 12 hate crimes or bias-related incidents have been reported on or near campus.

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by black students, has occupied the lobby of the Barnes Center at The Arch since 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The sit-in was motivated by SU’s delayed communication of racist graffiti against black and Asian people found in Day Hall.

Müeller said she decided to make her situation public because it was important that she showed solidarity with student protesters. It was also important to show that she was not afraid to speak out.

“I wanted to be public about this so people see that the administration, even though they’re saying there’s not direct threats, there really are,” she said. “And they need to respond to it.”

Published on November 19, 2019 at 10:40 pm

Contact Gabe: gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326