JUNE 17 • 2021 | 19

graduated and it was always on 
my bucket list to paint the rock,
” 
Stoloff said. “But the next day, 
I would return and the F-Israel 
and Free Palestine messages 
returned.
” 
After several layers of paint, 
Stoloff began to receive hun-
dreds of supportive messages 
on her Instagram page. She 
also received hundreds of neg-
ative Google reviews about 
her professional photography 
business, many of them with 
Arabic sounding names. Stoloff 
countered each negative review 
with a statement that she had 
never worked with the reviewer. 
Because of possible damage 
to her business, she is in com-
munication with the Anti-
Defamation League about the 
harassment.

UNIVERSITY RESPONSE
On the U-M Parent Facebook 
page, the University of 
Michigan released a brief state-
ment: “U-M denounces all vul-
gar and hateful messages, both 
on or near campus, such as 
‘The Rock’ … We offer thanks 
to those … who stepped up to 
add more speech by repainting 
The Rock.”
Many parents expressed on 
social media that this statement 
did not go far enough in speci-
fying that the slurs were implic-
itly targeting Jews. 
Some signed an online peti-
tion demanding the university 
do more in specifically calling 
out hatred toward Jews and 
pro-Israel students on cam-
pus, with some parents going 
as far as stating that they may 
withdraw their student from 
enrolling at the university if 
underlying currents of anti-Is-
rael and anti-Jewish sentiments 
are further normalized. 
In a June 5 tweet, University 
of Michigan Regent Jordan 
Acker stated: “I’m disgusted by 
the hateful and antisemitic graf-
fiti found on The Rock … This 
vulgar messaging, displacing a 

Pride Month painting, is dis-
graceful. Make no mistake, our 
campus is not and cannot be a 
haven for such hatred.
”
Jewish Federation of Ann 
Arbor Executive Director Eileen 
Freed said in response to the 
“abhorrent” language found on 
The Rock that the Federation 
has reached out to Hillel to sup-
port the organization’s support 
of Jewish students at this time 
and has also contacted city offi-
cials of their concern about the 
uptick of antisemitic incidents 
in Ann Arbor. 
Freed said she hopes the 
newly formed Ann Arbor 
Jewish Community Relations 
Council will create inroads 
with groups of other faiths for 
more support to the Jewish 
community. 
“The City Council and 
certain members on the 
council have taken up the 
Israel/Palestinian issue and 
have passed some resolutions 
against Israel from time to 
time,” said Freed. “There has 
been silence among some 
City Council members about 
this incident. Though there 
are rights to free speech, the 
Council needs to realize that 
disturbing incidents like this, 
plus the ongoing [anti-Israel] 
protests that happen outside 
Beth Israel, are not the kind 
of speech or behavior that is 
appropriate in Ann Arbor.”
Looking forward to the fall, 
Stoloff said the incident and the 
ensuing online harassment will 
not deter her from pursuing her 
master’s degree at Michigan. 
“People are going to be hyper-
aware about Israel because of 
what happened this summer,
” 
said Stoloff. “I don’t know what 
can be done on campus. I don’t 
expect people to change their 
opinions and the ‘Free Palestine’ 
stuff does not bother me. Having 
a formulated opinion for or 
against Israel is one thing, but 
threatening me or the reputation 
of my business crosses a line.
” 

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