Lenny Steinberg, the executive director of Oregon Hillel, said he was left feeling “sad, angry and scared” after posters found plastered around the University of Oregon campus targeted him directly, featuring a photo of his face under the banner “enemy of the people” and claiming he “supports the continuation of Zionism and genocide in Palestine.”

In a conversation with Marc Blattner, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Steinberg said that “targeting an individual by name and face is meant to intimidate, and it crosses the line from political speech to harassment,” according to a statement released by Blattner.

Steinberg also said that the poster’s call for “Hillel off campus” is “a message to Jewish students that their community does not belong.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland condemned the posters and called for University of Oregon President Karl Scholz and university administrators “to take swift, meaningful action to protect Jewish students, faculty, and Jewish organizational professionals.” 

The incident comes as Jewish leaders from the Pacific Northwest have warned of rising antisemitism and extremism in the area. Last month, two Seattle Jewish leaders wrote in eJewishPhilanthropy that the city was becoming a “laboratory” for testing “how far the scapegoating of Jews can be taken.” And earlier this year, a Portland, Ore., cafe publicly rejected a donation from a donor-advised fund run by the Jewish Federation Bay Area, referring to the donation as “blood money” because of the federation’s support for Israel.

Scholz later addressed the incident in a university-wide email, stating, “While we do not know if the flyers were posted by someone affiliated with our university, this type of language on our campus — language that targets based on religious and ethnic identity — is reprehensible. People have the right to speak freely, and we uphold that right. The posted flyers did not invite dialogue; instead, they promoted isolation and fear, and fear erodes the foundation of our community. We can be better.” 

Scholz did not specify if any investigation into the incident or disciplinary actions would be taking place. Blattner said in a follow-up statement that the federation was “grateful” to Scholz for his message. 

In his original message, Blattner said, “All Oregonians should be deeply disturbed” by the targeting of Steinberg and Hillel. 

“We also recognize what this moment represents,” he continued. “Across our state and our nation, we are seeing a pattern of efforts to isolate Jewish people and remove Jewish institutions from the shared spaces of public life, campuses, coalitions, cultural events, and community conversations. Whether through harassment, exclusion, or the deliberate vilification of Jews, the goal is the same — to make Jewish participation in civic life feel unwelcome or unsafe. We reject this completely! Jewish Oregonians helped build this state, and we will remain active, visible, and engaged in its future.”

Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR) also condemned the incident in a joint statement, saying, “Antisemitism continues to rise in Oregon, and we call on all Oregonians to reject it strongly.” The lawmakers added that “hate, intimidation, and antisemitism have no place on our college campuses, in our state or our country.”