26 May 2 • 2019
jn

Ethnic
Intimidation

MSU Hillel intern received anti-Semitic death threats.

A

Jewish student intern at the
Lester and Jewell Morris
Hillel Jewish Student Center
at Michigan State University in East
Lansing was urged by Hillel staff to
report anti-Semitic death threats
he’
d been receiving via Facebook
messages last October, according
to Robyn Hughey, Hillel associate
director.
Hughey said staff learned about
the trouble when some of them
began getting Facebook messages,
too.
“While we were not scared for
our lives, we were worried for our
intern’
s safety,” Hughey said. “We
put additional security into place
to ensure the safety of our students.
When we initially received the mes-
sages, we did not know much of the
backstory and our students’
safety
is our first priority. We quickly
learned that our staff, students and
building were not the target — the
accused was focusing his attention
on our intern.”
Using court records that included
a personal protection order, the
Lansing State Journal reported April
25 that Jack Hurlbut, 19, of Eaton
Rapids was jealous his ex-girlfriend
had moved on to a date with a new
man — the intern, who is from
Metro Detroit. The threatening
messages escalated. Hurlbut also
called the Hillel twice.
“The accused called the building
twice and spoke with Executive
Director Cindy Hughey both
times,” Robyn Hughey said. “The

second time was when she told
him she would call the police if he
called again. All contact with him
and our staff then stopped. This
was in November.”
Robyn Hughey also said Hillel’
s
executive director “has been fully
cooperating with the police and
prosecutors, which is why she has
not given any public comment.”
According to the State Journal
story, one of the messages refer-
enced Hitler. The story said the first
message appeared the day before
the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting
Oct. 27, 2018, in Pittsburgh, where
11 people were killed and seven
were injured.
The intern filed a complaint Nov.
15 with the East Lansing Police
Department, which led to Hurlbut
being charged with ethnic intimi-
dation, a felony punishable by up to
two years in prison, and malicious
use of telecommunications services,
the State Journal reported, adding
that ethnic intimidation is not a
charge commonly used in the state.
Since 2014, 160 people have been
charged with ethnic intimidation
in Michigan, according to the State
Court Administrative Office.
Criminal charges were filed in
a hearing in late January, the State
Journal reported. Hurlbut was due
to appear back in court at 2 p.m.
April 30 for a pretrial hearing. He is
currently free on bond; his attorney
declined to comment last week, the
story said. ■

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KERI GUTEN COHEN STORY DEVELOPMENT EDITOR

Medved to Keynote
Breakfast for Israel

Jewish National Fund (JNF-USA)
is hosting the Breakfast for Israel
in Detroit at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek on Tuesday, May 21. This
complimentary event will feature a
talk on Israeli innovation by guest
speaker Jonathan Medved, a social
entrepreneur, philanthropist, inves-
tor, and the founder and CEO of
OurCrowd. Registration will open
at 7:30 a.m. and the program will
begin promptly at 8.
Medved has been called “one of
Israel’
s leading high-tech venture
capitalists” by the Washington Post,
and was named by the New York
Times as one of the top 10 most
influential Americans who have
impacted Israel. OurCrowd has
raised more than $440 million for
more than 120 portfolio companies
since its launch in February 2013.
“Jewish National Fund’
s con-
tinuing investment into Israel of
hundreds of millions of dollars
goes way beyond their forests,” says
event co-chair Rabbi Elimelech
Goldberg. “Medved will present his
astonishing work with OurCrowd
and focus on the next level of
Israeli innovation. It is a great
opportunity for people to hear
more about the innovations in the
extraordinary Israel science/econo-
my space.”
Proceeds from the breakfast will
benefit JNF’
s vital work in Israel.
Registration for the Breakfast for
Israel is required by May 10 via jnf.
org/detroit.
For details, contact Kim Levy at
klevy@jnf.org or (248) 324-3080.

Sheila Landis and the Brazilian Love
Affair will be featured at the annual
Cantor Sam and Mona Greenbaum
Concert at Congregation Beth Sha-
lom in Oak Park at 4 p.m. Sunday,
May 19. A light meal will be served
after the musical program.
Award-winning Detroit vocalist
Sheila Landis’
musical career began
in 1973 with a Top 40 group called
the Vineyards. In 1981, she formed
her own record company, Shelan, and
has been issuing an album on that
label virtually every year since.

She met her musical and roman-
tic soul mate, guitarist Rick Matle,
in 1990. They work together as
a duo, trio and with their six- to
eight-member band Brazilian Love
Affair, which enables Landis to
express her long-standing romance
with Brazilian music, bossa nova and
samba.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $6
for children ages 4-12. Children 3
and under are free. For reservations,
call (248) 547-7970 or email cbs@
congbethshalom.org.

Sheila Landis To Headline Greenbaum Concert

Help End Hunger
Forgotten Harvest is partnering with
the Harold and Kay Fund, which will
match donations up to $50,000 made
through Mother’
s Day, May 12. This
partnership between Forgotten Har-
vest and the fund enables donors and
the community to double their impact
and make a difference in the lives of
families in need.
“We appreciate all our donors, vol-
unteers and partners like the Harold
and Kay Matching Gift Fund that
continue to support Forgotten Harvest
and our mission to reduce food
insecurity for families across metro
Detroit,
” said Kirk Mayes, Forgotten
Harvest CEO. “Mothers, grand-
mothers and women help change so
many lives, and at this time of year we
can work together so they can contin-
ue to do just that.
”
Donate at forgottenharvest.org/
donate.
Yom HaShoah
Commemoration
The Holocaust Memorial Center
Zekelman Family Campus will host
a Yom HaShoah commemoration
Sunday, May 5, at 2:30 p.m. The event
is free with complimentary parking
and is presented in cooperation with
C.H.A.I.M. Children of Holocaust
Survivors Association in Michigan,
Hidden Children and Child Survivors
Association of Michigan, the Shaarit
Haplaytah Organization, and Program
for Holocaust Survivors and Families
of JSL.
Also, you can volunteer to par-
ticipate in the worldwide Holocaust
memorial project, Unto Every Person
There Is A Name, by reciting the
names of Holocaust victims at the
HMC May 2 and May 5.