36 | NOVEMBER 7 • 2019
Shopping for Chaukah is
just a click away! From Nov.
8-18, the MSU Hillel-HCAM
Online Auction is offering
a catalog of more than 200
exciting items and unique
experiences. Thrill your sports
fans with memorabilia and
event tickets; clothe your fash-
ionistas with beautiful apparel
and boutique gift cards; and
tempt your foodies with
private dinners and catering
events.
Support of the online auc-
tion impacts thousands of
Jewish students at MSU and
on the 10 HCAM campuses
(Central Michigan, Eastern
Michigan, Grand Valley,
Northern Michigan, Saginaw
Valley State and Western
Michigan Universities, and
Albion, Alma College and
Kalamazoo College). Proceeds
benefit dynamic Jewish pro-
gramming, including engage-
ment events, award-winning
Israel education and advocacy
training, award-winning mul-
ticultural and social action ini-
tiatives, and Shabbat dinners.
To start shopping, register
at msuhillel.org/auction. For
details or to donate an item,
contact Jonathon Koenigsberg
or Dana Loewenstein at (517)
332-1916.
MSU Hillel Online Auction Nov. 8-18
COURTESY MSU HILLEL
AJC recently published a land-
mark survey on anti-Semitism
in the United States, reporting
that 88 percent of respon-
dents said that anti-Semitism
is a problem in this
country, nearly a third
of those polled have
avoided publicly iden-
tifying themselves as
Jews and 35 percent
say they have person-
ally been the targets
of anti-Semitism over
the past five years.
Furthermore, the FBI’
s
most recent hate crimes sta-
tistics declared that such acts
targeting Jews and Jewish
institutions in the United
States spiked nearly 37 percent
between 2016 and 2017.
ADL Michigan and the
Jewish Community Relations
Council/AJC, in partnership
with Temple Shir Shalom, will
welcome Oren Segal, ADL
’
s
director of the Center on
Extremism, at 7 p.m. Monday,
Nov. 11, at Shir Shalom in
West Bloomfield.
During his presentation,
“How Anti-Semitism Fuels
Extremism in the U.S.,
” he will
discuss the surge in
anti-Semitism and
the work he and his
colleagues are doing
in researching and
preventing extrem-
ism in the U.S.
Segal evaluates
the activity and
tactics of extremist
groups and movements from
across the ideological spec-
trum, training law enforce-
ment officers and publishing
reports and articles on a wide
range of extremist topics.
He shares his expertise with
members of Congress, in the
media and at worldwide con-
ferences.
The event, which concludes
with a dessert reception, is
free. Register at support.adl.
org/OrenSegal.
ADL Extremism Expert To Speak
COURTESY ADL
Oren
Segal
Jews in the D
Davidson Grant to FJA will Enhance
Hands-on Learning, Staff Development
The Jean and Samuel Frankel
Jewish Academy (FJA) has
been awarded a $950,000
grant to support FJA’
s work
in revolutionizing education
and the student experience.
The funding will be used
to support experiential edu-
cation opportunities for FJA
students to explore learning
beyond the classroom. FJA
students will all participate
in unique experiences out-
side the classroom, includ-
ing newly developed local,
national and international
trips that will impact student
growth and development.
Funding will also be used
for professional development
to help FJA’
s faculty further
support and guide students
as individual learners.
The William Davidson
Foundation builds upon the
work of educational re-
visioning and changes to the
school day, curriculum and
mission that FJA implement-
ed last year, including an
8:30 a.m. start time as well
as revised curriculum and
graduation requirements to
give students more voice and
choice in their education.
“We provide our students
with an exceptional college
preparatory education and
a Jewish education that is
personally transformative
for each of our students,”
said Head of School Rabbi
Azaryah Cohen. “Our excel-
lent student-to-teacher ratio
and the close relationships
our students develop with
their dedicated teachers set
the foundation for student
growth and connection to
Jewish life.”
Amy Folbe, president
of FJA’
s Board of Trustees,
said, “As the only Jewish
community high school in
Metro Detroit, FJA plays a
critical role in the continuity,
vibrancy and leadership of
Jewish life in the area for
generations. We are thankful
to the William Davidson
Foundation for investing in
this project, which enables
our school to be creative
and find the best ways to
engage young Jews in Jewish
education.”
Proposed Federal Change to
Protect Jewish Students
The U.S. Department of
Education’
s Office for Civil
Rights (OCR) annually col-
lects data from public schools
and school districts on inci-
dents of harassment and
bullying. Beginning in 2015,
this data mandated schools to
include incidents of discrim-
ination based on a student’
s
perceived religion.
The data returned showing
voluminous numbers. As a
result, OCR is now proposing
to modify the data collection
categories to better respond
to these incidents, especially
where ethnic and/or ancestral
harassment is combined with
direct religious discrimi-
nation. Anti-Semitism falls
under this category.
The new proposal will
require schools throughout
the nation to report incidents
of anti-Semitism. This can
only help to better protect
Jewish students.
There is a limited window
to show support, according
to StandWithUs. Email the
Office for Civil Rights at
https://tinyurl.com/yxhdcdo6,
commenting on why you
support this change, by Nov.
18.