metro >> on the cover
A Good
Place
To Be
Jewish
Michigan State University
has revitalized Jewish life
on campus.
Jackie Headapohl I Managing Editor
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Israel, and Michael and Elaine
Serling, whose long-term involve-
ment with the
university and
many generous
gifts have cre-
ated the Michael
and Elaine
Serling and
Friends Chair in
Israel Studies,
Elaine and
filled by profes-
Michael Serling
sor Yael Aronoff,
and the Serling
Visiting Israeli Scholars Program.
"There's no way to underestimate
Michael's influence," says Steve
Weiland, former MSU Jewish Studies
Program (JSP) director and board
member. "In the long run, Michael
has shaped so much. Yes, he's a good
philanthropist, but he is also a good
leader. He has an unending abun-
dance of spirit and drive that helped
us keep moving ahead"
The Serlings' involvement began
about 17 years ago, when they spon-
sored an event for visiting Israelis
from Detroit's sister region in Israel's
Central Galilee. At the reception,
they met Weiland, who asked them
to get involved and create a relation-
ship between the JSP and the Detroit
Jewish community. That began
his ambassadorship of MSU, the
enhancement of its Jewish Studies
program and the increasing number
of Jewish students.
Jewish life at MSU has become
much more vibrant in the past 15
1960s were the golden
age for Jewish Greek life
at MSU, as many of the
other Greek houses on
campus excluded Jewish
this summer
students.
MSU History
"Going back to the
Lesson
'40s and '50s, many East
MSU was founded in 1855, the first
Coast Jewish students looking for an
land grant college in the United States affordable education came to MSU,
many from New York:' said Serling,
under the Morrill Act. It was called
Michigan Agricultural College at its
who joined the "Sammys" (Sigma
onset, changing its name to Michigan
Alpha Mu) in 1962, and enjoyed his
50th reunion in 2012. "There were
State College in 1925, and Michigan
State University in 1955.
30 Jewish kids in my pledge class
The land grant philosophy meant
and only four or five were from
education would be offered to the
Detroit. The rest were from New
masses and not just to those with
York and the East Coast:'
wealth. And, under the leadership
Jeffrey Leib, a member of the
of its longest-serving president,
Jewish Studies advisory board, grad-
John Hannah, the school grew from
uated from MSU in 1964.
16,000 to 34,000 from the 1940s-
"It was great:' he says. "I never
1965. The percentage of Jewish
felt any discrimination, although I
students also increased dramatically
learned there were kids on campus
during that time frame.
who had never met a Jew before.
"When I went to MSU from 1962
One guy from Escanaba was raised
to 1966, this land grant philosophy
to believe that Jews had horns"
was still very much evident:' Serling
Leib, a lawyer from West
said. "It helped me to thrive as a
Bloomfield, where he lives with his
student, as part of my experience
wife, Bryna, says Jewish life at MSU
was learning about the broader
today is far more robust.
society than the Jewish ghetto I had
"Hillel is more active and vibrant,
been raised in. It helped me prepare
a real staple of Jewish life on cam-
for the real world, which is hardly
pus. It wasn't so cool when I was
a Jewish world. At the same time, I
there, and I didn't go too often:'
was still able to keep my Jewish roots
Don Rudick, who sits on the Hillel
by joining a Jewish fraternity:'
Board, graduated business school
The first Jewish fraternity at MSU
at MSU in 1970, and was a member
was Alpha Epsilon Pi, started in
of the AEPi, a 100 percent Jewish
fraternity.
1934. Zeta Beta Tau fraternity came
in the late 1940s, followed by Sigma
At that time, during the Vietnam
Alpha Mu fraternity in 1959. The
War and amid social unrest, fraterni-
years, Serling says. That
wasn't always the case.
There were some years
when Jewish life at MSU
was rather hard to find.
Yael Aronoff,
second from left,
middle row, and
students in Israel
Good Place on page 10
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September 5 • 2013