For Openers Colors Of Unity I t was hard not to notice the display of Israeli blue and white while traveling through the University of Michigan grounds on Yom HaAtzmaut. His T-shirt project is just one of several pro-Israel student initiatives financially supported by U-M Hillel. Hamagshimim, the university Zionist movement sponsored by Hadassah, donated $750 to bring the cost of the shirts down to $5 each. The memory of a campus dotted with blue-and- white shirts sporting the flag of Israel will no doubt be a lasting one for students who know they are making a difference with their support of Israel. "This is a time for action," Brooks says. "These diffi- cult days will indelibly shape the Jewish identities of this generation of students." ❑ On April 17, Israel Independence Day, 700 students literally wore their support for Israel on their backs in the shape of specially designed T-shirts. The plan to create the shirts came from U-M sopho- more Jacob Cohen, 20, of West Bloomfield after an Israeli-born friend, Ron Alkalay, 19, of West — Shelli Liebman Dorfman, staff writer Bloomfield draped an Israeli flag over his shoul- ders at an April 10 pro-Israel rally on the Ann * * *A* Arbor campus. ****.' Within hours, classmate David Binswanger, 20, of Atlanta was working on a design for the shirt and Cohen was at an Ann Arbor T-shirt company getting purchasing information. Next, with the help of their fraternity brothers at Alpha Epsilon Pi and other classmates, they started canvassing the campus, taking orders for the shirts. Just 36 hours after the idea was sparked, Cohen placed the order for 700 shirts, with the wording: "Wherever we stand ... we stand with Israel," echoing the theme of the April 10 rally that brought together 400 students. In Hebrew block lettering is the line, Am Yisrael Chai (the nation of Israel lives). Adam Jahnke, Jacob Cohen, Adam Linkner and Ari Scharg, all The words signal "that however much we may of West Bloomfield wear Yom HaAtzmaut T-shirts. disagree on our political and philosophical posi- tions about what is happening in the Middle East, we all unequivocally support Israel's right to live in peace and security," says Michael Brooks, executive director of U-M Hillel. "These words have been adopt- ©2002 ed by International Hillel as the theme of the national student presence at this week's [April 15] rally in Washington, D.C." The T-shirt project is one of many initiated by stu- dent Israel activists at the school this year, according to he Passover seder plate sometimes has a Brooks. "Large numbers of students have been tirelessly place for a food named chazeret. Do active," he says. "It is exhilarating to see so many of you know what this is? them taking the lead." Cohen found support from U-M Hillel came in the form of more than just praise. • (4.9,02V619) (pall puoDas E JOJ a ods JD "Hillel agreed to front all of the money for the shirts, -tpowe puE (..todvta) yam JalaN amp Joj rods E ;Aug and they also agreed to cover any expenses that are not SD1EICI IDpas awns `.MAOSSEd uo sq.zag Jala!q lED paid for in full, once every shirt is sold," Cohen says. sn Hal samidi.ps malqaH age asnEDag :Jamsuy y Goldfein GRAPEJEWZ By Mendel A1J17 Gs.) ITN .JOUR BEAD GIFT OF $5 (Y) I I-I-10N (A)E'LL NAME TREsiimc-ruAR(A AFTER S OU FOR S5 MI 1-LI ON MOU'RE GONNA NAVE To NAME A 1-01" MORE MAN JUST THE SANCTUARJ AFTER ME... ACCORDING To THE 6WJAGOGU SOLLETINJ "1.66 VE GOR Fl NKL RE-NAMED SN A BB A PA.?" Selected news and.,feature stories from the Detroit Je*ish-N, wvy.detroitjewishnews. CO, >,;: / / 47 ) What's E s Harry Kir ..-- baumt The New Normal: ExpeCt-tprsee:diore pro- and anti-Isra4