JUNE 17 • 2021 | 21
“Dad was a swash-
buckler, a brilliant trail-
blazing adventurer who
loved every minute of his
charmed life. Unlike me,
my father not only accept-
ed but embraced the years
of sacrifice and struggle.
“I was not willing to pay
the price. I would say the
difference between us is
this. I would say, ‘every
ship needs a harbor.’ Stan
would say, ‘every ship
needs an ocean.’”
But they loved each
other. “You know, Father’s
Day was one of his favor-
ite holidays,” his son said.
When the great inventor
was dying of prostate can-
cer in 2012, Harvey helped
organize a huge, pre-90th
birthday tribute where
everyone from respected
scientists to U.S. Sen. Carl
Levin spoke and congratu-
lated him.
Harvey Ovshinsky did
not cry when his father
died on Oct. 17, 2012. But
he did six years later, when
he found a note in his
father’s personal files that
said, “I would fly anywhere
to have seen and heard
Harvey tonight. He not
only has great talent but
true depth and menschkeit.
“I am proud of him, not
only as a son, but as a per-
son. I am happy to have
lived to have seen him with
his wisdom and maturity.”
This Father’s Day,
Harvey Ovshinsky looks
forward to hearing from
his own grown son Noah,
and daughter Sasha.
And as always, he will
spend some time thinking
of his own enormously
complicated and brilliant
dad.
T
he Wayne State
University Student
Senate approved an
anti-Israel resolution on Friday,
May 27. The statement, posted
on Instagram, “condemned
all forms of antisemitism,
Islamophobia and violence
against Israeli and Palestinian
people,
” but criticized the use
of American taxpayer dollars
to support Israel’s “ethnic
cleansing in Palestine.
” One of
the Pro-Palestinian organiza-
tions it urged donations to was
the Boycott, Diverstment and
Sanctions Movement (BDS).
Immediately following the
vote, Hillel of Metro Detroit’s
WSU Student groups — the
Jewish Student Organization,
Students for Israel and AEPi —
released a joint statement.
In the statement, they said
they were “disappointed and
saddened” by the resolution.
It went on to say: “The
double standard of singling
out accusations against Israel,
the only Jewish country, while
ignoring atrocities around
the world, is antisemitic. At
this time, when antisemitism
has increased in this country
and abroad, such a one-sided
statement creates an unsafe
environment for Jewish stu-
dents and all supporters of
Israel.”
In the statement, the stu-
dents called on WSU President
M. Roy Wilson and the
WSU Board of Governors to
denounce the resolution and
requested that WSU adopt
the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance
(IHRA) definition of antisem-
itism, so that Jewish students
will feel safe on campus.
Wilson released
a statement on
Thursday, June 3,
addressing stu-
dents and faculty:
“Some members
of the community
have assumed
that the [Student
Senate] statement carries the
endorsement of the university.
It does not.
“
As stated on our website,
We value all people, and
understanding their unique
experiences talents and per-
spectives make us stronger and
better persons,
” his statement
included.
The Detroit News reported
June 8 that Wilson received
backlash from the Michigan
chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations,
a Muslim civil rights organi-
zation, and the Wayne State
University Student Senate for
his statement.
Wilson blocked the Student
Senate from sending a mass
email containing the anti-
Israel resolution throughout
the university.
HILLEL RESPONDS
Hillel of Metro Detroit
Executive Director Miriam
Miriam
Starkman
Starkman said the
organization
remains dedicated
to ensuring the
physical and men-
tal health and
safety of students
and will provide personal
guidance to students and an
“empathetic space [for stu-
dents] to process their feelings
about the current rise in
antisemitism, prepare to enter
difficult conversations and
engage with non-Jewish stu-
dents and campus leadership
to advocate on important
issues.”
Starkman said that she hopes
the university will adopt a
definition of antisemitism that
will help protect the Jewish
students who are feeling
“threatened and unsafe right
now given the current climate
on campus.
”
She was also concerned
about the language used in
the Student Senate statement,
including the accusations of
ethnic cleansing and the pro-
motion of BDS.
“I believe the adaptation of
the definition should take place
at the administration level and
not at the student government
level,
” Starkman said.
“It should be pervasive
throughout the university and
not dependent on the student
leadership.
”
Students are expect-
ed to return to campus in
September. Starkman said,
“Wayne State has histori-
cally been a positive place
for Jewish students and the
administration has been sup-
portive, so I’m hoping that
by the time school is back in
session that we will be able to
do whatever we can to ensure
a safe environment for Jewish
students.”
But Wayne State Student Senate statement is
opposed by university president.
Anti-Israel Resolution at WSU
BRIAN GOLDSMITH JN INTERN
M. Roy
Wilson