School officials received reports of three incidents of what they call "hate-based vandalism."
President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval wrote in a message to the community that "campus property (was) defaced with antisemitic messaging" and confirmed it has since been removed.
"Whenever such an incident takes place, we need to take a breath," Rabbi Rick Winer at Temple Beth Israel in Fresno told Action News. "We need to figure out where it's coming from."
RELATED: UC Merced celebrates second day of Hanukkah after deadly mass shooting in Australia
The rabbi said Jiménez-Sandoval personally reached out and believes the university is taking the vandalism seriously.
"If people feel that they can act out as a vandal and do it in such a provocative way, that's not good," he said. "That's not good for our community."
As authorities investigate, Fresno State's student newspaper, The Collegian, is reporting new details.
"They said what was drawn, which was a swastika on the light pole at P30, which is a parking lot next to the library," reporter Isaac Marquez told Action News about his interview with someone who saw the vandalized property.
Marquez and colleague Anahid Valencia have heard concerns from students as they say the semester ends on a heavy note.
Students are in the midst of finals, a few days after a deadly shooting at Brown University.
"I think there is fear on campus for safety," Valencia said. "I think safety is just an underlying issue of contention right now."
The worry comes amid growing concerns about hate crimes across the globe.
A weekend mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach killed at least 15 people during the first night of Hanukkah.
"Hanukkah is about being free to be Jewish and express that. It's even more disturbing that there are attacks going on throughout the world and taking place here," Rabbi Rick said.
He said the Jewish community is "unsettled," but strong.
"We also have to live our lives because we don't want people whose goal is to strike fear, to strike terror, to win," he said.
Members of the Jewish community on campus expect an update from college officials about the investigation on Friday.
For news updates, follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.