for college students by college students

Annie Peurach } jewish@edu writer
I 

was not raised 
Jewish. I was 
raised in a 
Catholic household 
in Ann Arbor. 
I only recently 
started learning 
about Israel and 
Judaism and have 
been quite taken 
with both. I have 
even started the 
process to convert. 
I am a senior at 
the University 
of Michigan at 
Dearborn majoring in international 
studies with a focus on French and 
art history. 
My major is an indication of my 
love of learning about different 
cultures and pushing the bounds 
of what I know. I always want to 
engage in challenging conversations 
because I feel like, if done the right 
way, there is an opportunity for 
growth on both sides. Being an 
advocate for Israel in Dearborn 
has given me years of experiencing 
growth.
When you mention to someone 
in Ann Arbor that you support 
Israel, you are often met with 
“me, too” or even the occasional 
“I don’
t know much about the 
topic/conflict” from Jews and non-
Jews alike. The first time I faced 
adversity in Dearborn was when 
someone found out I supported 
Israel.
I was talking with someone I 
now consider a close friend. I was 
telling him how I was converting 
to Judaism. The first thing he 
mentioned was “How can you 
support Israel when you know 
what they are doing to Palestine?” 
My first thought was “I only said 
that I was converting …” My dear 
friend is from Lebanon and he has 
only heard bad things about Israel. 
Because I had not yet had any 

classes with the Hillel 
of Metro Detroit’
s 
Israel Fellowship 
program, I had no 
idea how to respond, 
except to defend Israel 
as best I could with 
the little knowledge I 
had.
We both dropped 
this topic and vowed 
never to bring it up 
again. I wish this 
conversation would 
have come up after 
I had taken HMD’
s 
Israel Fellowship series. I wish I 
could have explained how Israel is 
working hard on peace negotiations 
even when the government of 
Palestine shoots them down. I 
would have explained that Arab-
Israeli citizens have the same rights 
as other Israeli citizens, and that 
they are free to go about their 
daily lives. I would have explained 
that Israel tries its best to help 
Palestinian civilians receive aid, but 
they have to be cautious due to the 
threats that Palestine has inflicted 
upon Israel. I would have explained 
that the land of Israel was given 
legally. I would have explained that 
the Jewish people lived in this land 
2,000 years ago and were forcibly 
exiled many times and killed 
abroad in many genocides and 
pogroms, and now they finally have 
their homeland back where they 
can feel safe.
I am so thankful that I got a 
chance to be a part of the Israel 
Fellowship because I now have 
an extensive knowledge about the 
Jewish people and the connection 
to Israel that will help me explain 
Israel’
s story to anyone that will 
listen, even in a place that is known 
for condemning it. @

Annie Peurach of Ann Arbor is a senior at 
the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

HMD Israel Fellowship 
Program Offers 
K 
nowledge 

Annie Peurach

June 13 • 2019 23
jn

