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T

his academic year 
has been one full of 
challenges for me, 
as well as for many other 
students. Attending “Zoom 
University” sounds cuter than 
it is — even as someone who 
had the privilege of living in 
East Lansing these past two 
semesters, I still felt defeated 
and lonely at times. 
Sitting for hours a day 
staring at a computer screen 
can take a physical and emo-
tional toll; never did I think 
I’d so desperately miss being 
crammed into a huge lecture 
hall with hundreds of other 
students. Because of these 
extra challenges this year, 
more than ever, students 
needed social interaction — 
some wisp of normalcy to 
cling to. 
As president of Spartans 
for Israel, I spent a large 
portion of this year trying to 

think of ways to bring this 
normalcy back to MSU stu-
dents. Many questions arose 
along the way — one of the 
biggest questions being: How 
do you get these students 
engaged with Israel program-
ming when they are sick and 
tired of online interaction? 
Thankfully, our online 
programming far surpassed 
what I could have ever imag-
ined. With the hard work of 
the Spartans for Israel eboard 
and staff members, we had 
a year full of vibrant Israel 
programming that created a 
community of enthusiastic 
and supportive students. 
This community is a large 
part of what helped carry me 
through this year of online 
learning. More than that, 
this community is the group 
of students who supported 
each other and stuck togeth-
er when Israel sentiment 

Students at The Shuk during Israel Week: Sarah Kerr of Rochester; 
Pelli Mechnikov of Huntington Woods; Julia Foos of Highland Park, 
Illinois; and Julia Diskin of Farmington Hills. 

MSU HILLEL

Spartans for Israel hold in-person 
Israel Week events.

A Taste of 
Normalcy

Pelli Mechnikov } jewish@edu writer

for college students 
by college students

YOU JUST GAVE WARRIOR STRONG
A WHOLE NEW MEANING.

wayne.edu

Nathan Silverman

We are so proud of
all your hard work, drive
and determination!
Wishing you a future filled 
with love, happiness,
good health and success!
IIT Architecture awaits you!

All our love,
Mom, Dad, Elie, Levi, Penelope, 
Gio & Tiger

Mazel Tov!

Mazel Tov!

Jordyn Zeldes

On the volleyball, tennis or 
any court of your choosing, 
you dig deep and feel 
deeply. Thank you! We’ve 
watched with awe in our 
front row seats and look 
forward to the thrills that 
await. We love you! OXO

Your biggest fans:
Dad, Mom, Gabe, Tommy & Eli

Rachel Weiss

We are so proud of you 
and all that you have 
accomplished so far!
The sky’s the limit
and we know that
your future is bright!

We love you,
Mom, Dad and Jake
Grammy and Papa
Meema and Stevie

Mazel Tov!

