metro Alleged Hate Crime at MSU Zachary Tennen, 19, says he was assaulted at an off-campus party because he's Jewish. ° the incident. "We've all just decided to put a freeze on it communication," she said. Zach Tennen, 19, in the hospital after Robin Schwartz the assault. Contributing Writer H e should be settling into campus life and getting into the swing of his sophomore year at Michigan State University. Instead, journalism student Zachary Tennen, 19, of Franklin will have to catch up on classes. He's spent nearly two weeks of the new school year recover- ing from surgery to repair a broken jaw, an injury he says he suffered during a hate crime. However, East Lansing Police investigat- ing the assault — which took place in the early morning hours of Aug. 26 at an off- campus party on the 500 block of Spartan Avenue — say it was likely not a hate crime. They've identified witnesses and an 18-year-old suspect from Farmington Hills who is not a student at Michigan State. At press time, charges had not yet been filed. "They were making Nazi and Hitler sym- bols, and they said they were part of the KKK," Zach told a local television news sta- tion. He said two men asked him if he was Jewish and when he answered, "Yes," they knocked him unconscious. He also said his mouth was stapled dur- ing the attack. Police say doctors did not see evidence of staples, although witnesses reportedly told investigators there was a small piece of metal in the victim's mouth following the assault. The 2011 Birmingham Groves High School graduate also told his family and police that no one at the party came to his aid after he was assaulted at the gathering. Tennen was at this party alone; several friends had left him earlier. He took a cab to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing and later underwent surgery to have his jaw wired shut at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital in Pontiac. The story received national attention thanks in part to social media websites like Facebook and Twitter. Rabbi Jason Miller, an MSU grad and AEPi Chi Chapter member (Zach is also a member of the national Jewish fraternity), has been in contact with the family. "Zach's jaw is broken in two places," 8 September 6 - 2012 Miller said. "The police are saying this was a fight over a girl, but he doesn't have a girl- friend. There's no girl. They clearly asked him if he was Jewish and he said, 'Yes, and that's when the altercation started." The Detroit Jewish News made numer- ous attempts to reach Zach and his parents, Bruce and Tina Tennen, for comment. Despite appearing in television news reports and in local newspapers during the time of our requests, Bruce Tennen sent a message to the JN saying, "I would love to share Zach's story with you and I love and trust the JN, but our attorney wants us to stop all communications now." Bruce's father, Harvey F. Tennen, was a longtime Wayne County Circuit Court Judge who died in 2011. "I've never heard of anything so horrific," Bruce Tennen is quoted as saying in the media about the attack on his son. "They should be prosecuted under the full extent of the law as a hate crime. It's my intention to get the Anti-Defamation League involved as well as perhaps a civil rights attorney, and I will see this to the end." ADL Michigan Region Director Betsy Kellman initially called the attack "horrific" and told the Detroit News, "This is one of the worst discrimination cases I've seen:' Several days later, after meeting with Zach and his family, she declined to comment on Hate Crime Defined Congress has defined a hate crime "as a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orienta- tion." Hate itself is not a crime, and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties. This is important because there is penalty enhancement for a hate crime. According to FBI statistics, Michigan has the fifth highest number of hate crimes in the United States, down from third several years ago (www.fbi.gov ). In MSU Responds Meanwhile, MSU's president and Hillel rep- resentatives were busy issuing open letters to the school community and supporters in response to the attack. "The University believes that anti-Semitic behavior is antithetical to the values that must underpin our community," wrote Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon on Aug. 29. "Reports that an anti-Semitic incident occurred in East Lansing not only affected the student involved but undermines the work we have done in partnership with Hillel and the Jewish community to support our Jewish students. "Violence within our community, for any reason, affects us all:" Prior to the assault, Zach attended a din- ner Saturday night with members of MSU Hillel. The students reunited after traveling to Israel along with Zach on a Birthright Israel trip in May. "Reports and stories have been flying around, and we have been trying our best to respond to the situation in an appropri- ate and reasonable manner," wrote MSU Hillel Executive Director Cindy Hughey in an Aug. 29 letter addressed to "Friends of MSU Hillel." "At this point in time, East Lansing Police do not believe that this terrible incident was, in fact, a hate crime. Witnesses have identified a suspect, who is not an MSU stu- dent and lives in the Detroit area. The FBI and ADL have also been involved. "The story that the student's mouth was stapled shut has been confirmed untrue by Sparrow Hospital. There are many conflict- ing stories, and we are trying our best to support Zach, our students and community during this difficult time." Jeff Sakwa of West Bloomfield, a long- the religion category, crimes against Jews remains the highest category; this also includes crimes of destruction to syna- gogues or cemeteries. According to the Anti-Defamation League's annual anti-Semitic audit, the number of reported incidents nationally has remained fairly steady. In 2010, 1,239 incidents were reported compared to 1,211 in 2009 (www.adl.org). Pockets of white supremacist activity and Nazis exist in Michigan as well as other hate groups. Known areas include Metro Detroit, Cadillac, the area of Bay City and Saginaw. — Betsy Kellman, ADL time family friend of the Tennens, describes Zach as a basketball aficionado and a good kid. Sakwa, who sat on the bimah with Zach during his bar mitzvah at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, is running as a Republican nominee for MSU trustee. Regarding the assault, Sakwa said, "We'll let the facts stand and see for ourselves; no one should rush to judgment. Police and the FBI are looking into it. Zach was beaten up and nobody deserves to get beaten up no matter what the circumstances were." Senior Alex Waldman, president of the MSU Jewish Student Union and an AEPi member, told the State News, "Regardless of what the outcome of this incident is, this is an opportunity for our campus to evaluate hate toward groups, whether it's cultural, racial or religious; hate is always there, and [for] students our age, as young adults, it is our responsibility to eliminate that:' Rabbi Miller and Zach's father expressed similar sentiments. "Whether police decide to classify this horrific incident as a hate crime or not, the fact remains this was an anti-Semitic incident and we cannot allow it to happen," Miller said. "The college campus and the surrounding community must be safe envi- ronments for our college students." Bruce Tennen is quoted in the media as saying, "I hope we can live in a non- prejudicial, non-anti-Semitic society where somebody's not attacked based on their race, creed, nationality, religion, lifestyle. "What did Zach do? He didn't provoke anybody. He was an innocent victim. And even if he did provoke somebody, does that merit trying to maim and/or kill? No, I don't think so." East Lansing Police are still investigating the assault. Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Dan Brown at (517) 319-6811. During a Birthright Israel trip in May, Zach drew back from a feisty camel.