for college students by college students

December 21, 2017/3 Kislev 5778

Engaging Students

UM-Dearborn JSO gets support for its
pro-Israel programming.

New Beginning

David Solomon } jewish@edu writer

he University of Michigan-Dearborn Jewish Student Organization (JSO)
has always been cautious about having a strictly pro-Israel event. Thanks
to the JSO, Hillel of Metro Detroit and the Office of the Vice Chancellor, I
can now say with confidence there will be future pro-Israel themed events.
For the first time, the JSO, co-sponsoring with the Student Veterans
Association, presented Artists 4 Israel.
Popular among many universities, Artists 4 Israel brings professional graffiti
artists and uses their talents for pro-Israel activism. At my campus, students
were able to create graffiti T-shirts with whatever they wanted on them.
Individuals could express their own activism (pro-choice, pro-life), advocate for
their own student organizations, make an Israeli flag or write Free Palestine —
whatever they wanted. Every scenario is welcomed because people are partici-
pating and expressing themselves in an open and peaceful environment.
Artists 4 Israel was successful because it allowed students to be themselves.
The event united different student groups to learn about themselves, each other
and Israel and to create artwork in support of peace and unity.
The incentive of receiving a T-shirt with whatever you wanted on it was entic-
ing. We had more than 100 students attend. While waiting in line, we received
questions like, “What’s happening in Israel?”, “I hate Netanyahu … why is he
so divisive?” and “Israel is not alone.”
One particular comment stays with me: “I don’t understand why Israel
receives all the attention. My own country has similar border issues.” While I
was happy to address these questions the best I could, it is nice to know you
have the support of your fellow Jewish students. I try to keep updated on Israeli
politics, but when speaking to a diverse student body, you appreciate how one
person can better communicate certain topics. This, and among many other rea-
sons, is why I am grateful to my peers in the JSO.
For me, the best thing that came out of Artists 4 Israel was that the pro-Israel
community is not alone. Students, faculty and administration alike came out to
get T-shirts.
Pro-Israel events at my university can be scary. With harsh critics far and wide,
the pro-Israel voice tends to be stifled. Seemingly, the unspoken rule was, “Be
pro-Israel silently.” This event proved you can be open, present and peaceful.
Students all over campus came, exceeding my own expectations on turnout.
Jews, gentiles and the Zionist community are not alone in their support for
Israel. I look forward to subsequent pro-Israel events on my campus. I am grate-
ful to the Jewish Student Organization, Hillel of Metro Detroit and the University
of Michigan-Dearborn for letting our voices be heard. @

T

David Solomon of West Bloomfield is a senior at University of Michigan-Dearborn.
He is treasurer of the UM-Dearborn Jewish Student Organization and an active
member of Hillel of Metro Detroit.

UM-Dearborn students with T-shirts
from the Artists 4 Israel event

52

December 21 • 2017

jn

AEPi Colony chartered at Wayne State University.

WSU AEPi Colony members: Alex McInnis, David Sable, Jeremy Rosenberg,
Scott Cohon, Nisim Nesimov, Evan Cohen and Adam Weinbaum.

Jeremy Rosenberg } jewish@edu writer

O

n Oct. 26, something happened at
Wayne State University that has not
happened in a while: A group of
Jewish men were inducted as found-
ing fathers of the Xi Colony of Alpha Epsilon Pi
fraternity.
A Jewish presence is becoming visible once again
at WSU, not just in the medical school or the law
school, but with undergraduate students. That’s
right, Jewish undergraduate students are coming
back to Wayne State. Not only that, the Jewish stu-
dents here want to be involved in the Jewish com-
munity and want to have a place they can be with
other Jewish students.
I’m one of those students. That’s why, when I got
an email from AEPi back in June to congratulate me
on graduating high school, I decided to give them
a call and see what it would take to get a chapter
back at this school. I figured that with the history
of Jewish attendance, there had to have been a
chapter at some point and, sure enough, there had
been. It was the 14th chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi, as
a matter of fact.
Alpha Epsilon Pi is the “world’s Jewish college
fraternity,” operating chapters and colonies on 190
campuses in the United States, Canada, the U.K.,
Austria, Australia and Israel. The fraternity’s stated
mission is to develop the future leaders of the
Jewish community.

After I called, I was given the numbers of a few
different guys who could help set up the chapter
here, and I finally met Doug Steinman, the educa-
tional leadership consultant for the Great Lakes
Region of AEPi. Since this summer, Doug has worked
incredibly hard to get guys together and get this
colony on its feet and, thanks to him, it’s now been
officially recognized once again.
As the colony begins to grow, we look forward to
becoming a part of the WSU community, the Detroit
community and the Jewish community once again.
The Xi colony has a long history of great people,
great events, great service to the community and
much more, and the newest members are looking to
contribute to that history even more.
To maximize participation, the colony is open to
Metro Detroit universities as well, such as University
of Michigan-Dearborn, Oakland University and
Oakland Community College. So, if you’re a guy in
high school who loves Judaism, loves Detroit and
is considering Wayne State University or any other
Metro Detroit school, then you’ve officially got a
community here, and we look forward to meeting
you. @

Jeremy Rosenberg of West Bloomfield is a freshman
at Wayne State University. He is the president of the
Wayne State University AEPi chapter and an active
member of Hillel of Metro Detroit.

