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Overcoming Differences
UM-Dearborn student from Israel finds
common ground on campus.
Happy Passover
Hava Ylyaguev
jewish@edu writer
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hen I tell people I go to school
in Dearborn, I am almost always
guaranteed to receive an inter-
esting reaction in return, "Do you actually like
it there?" or "Are people nice to you?"
Such questions are not surprising con-
sidering the school is located in Dearborn,
a city with the highest percentage of Arab
Americans outside the Middle East, not to
mention that I am Jewish and was born and
raised in Israel. Many family members and
friends questioned my decision to transfer to
the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-D),
and for some time I did, too.
The truth is, attending this university is one
of the best decisions I have made in my life. I
feel this experience has changed my personal-
ity for the better, making me more aware and
appreciative of different cultures and religions.
A couple months into my first semester, I
was strolling through a Student Organization
Fair and was caught off guard when I saw
a table for the Jewish Student Organization
(1S0). I was shocked yet filled with so much
joy and excitement.
After a brief conversation with both the
JSO adviser/Hillel of Metro Detroit program
associate and a JSO board member, I was
ecstatic to find I could finally participate in
and belong to an organization I can relate to
on a campus that sometimes felt very out-
side of my comfort zone. That was the day I
became an active and proud board member
of the JSO and Hillel of Metro Detroit.
There are stereotypes when it comes to
UM-D, such as the anti-Israel activity and hos-
tility toward Jews and Israelis. I would be lying
if I said I have never felt any prejudice or bias
from some Arab students once they discovered
I am Israeli; but the truth is, I am certain that
Palestinians would feel the same if they were
on a prominently Jewish campus.
Although I am a lover and supporter of
1881440
Israel, I believe it is important to remember
there are two sides to every story and each
side has its own definition of "truth." As
someone born and raised in a land where
there is constant war and hostility with the
Arab world, I admit I, too, had my share of
prejudice and bias toward the Palestinian
side when I moved here seven years ago
During my two years at UM-D, I have
established several meaningful relationships
with students of Arab origin who have made
me realize we are much more alike than we
are different, yet we take the little things
and put them under the microscope and
politicize situations. In the course of these
friendships, we have become more aware
and appreciative of our similarities and more
accepting of our differences.
While Jewish life on campus may not be
as vibrant as the Jewish life at U-M in Ann
Arbor, we still have a close-knit community
that maintains supportive relationships and
holds monthly cultural events. It is impor-
tant to mention that the larger student
organizations, including the Muslim Student
Association and Arab Student Organization,
have been nothing but receptive and wel-
coming to the JSO. We have and continue
to collaborate with other cultural student
organizations so that different groups have a
better understanding of each another.
As the current president of the JSO, my
main goal is to raise UM-D students' aware-
ness of Jewish life, both in religious and
cultural aspects. However, what I truly desire
is for students to learn that we all, as human
beings from different cultures, must learn to
respect our differences and appreciate our
similarities. @
Hava Ylyaguev of West Bloomfield is a senior
at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and
president of the Jewish Student Organization.