SEPTEMBER 30 • 2021 | 23

is hosted by the institute
in partnership with the
Lester and Jewell Morris
Hillel Jewish Student Center
and other MSU academic
departments. It will feature
insights from leading experts
from around the country as
well as a recorded message
from MSU President
Samuel Stanley. For more
information and to register,
go to jsp.msu.edu.
“I think the symposium is
going to be a great service
to the university in terms of
awareness and education,”
Aronoff said. “But we know
most students and faculty
and staff will not attend.
The next step for us is to
try to get the university
to include education
about antisemitism in its
orientations and workshops
so all students coming to

MSU can get some exposure
to the issue.”
Hillel Executive Director
Cindy Hughey
said despite what
happened, the
incidents were
limited in scope
and said she was
encouraged that
non-Jews acted
against the hate.
“It was non-Jewish
students who reported these
incidents and who repainted
the rock, and to me that is
amazing,” Hughey said. “It
was really great to see that
we have support of non-
Jewish students on campus,
and it is part of Hillel’s
mission to keep building
these partnerships and
alliances.
“Hillel has also been
working with administrators

in two newly created
positions over the summer
[concerning diversity
and inclusion], and we
are hoping we are going
to expand antisemitism
awareness into diversity
training on campus.”
The 3,000 Jewish MSU
students in recent years have
experienced several cases of
antisemitism. In April 2021,
Jewish student leaders were
harassed and intimidated as
they attempted to pass a bill
to define antisemitism in
MSU’s student government.
There have been
threatening phone messages,
a defaced mezuzah and a
swastika painted in front of
a fraternity house. In 2019,
Hillel’s sukkah was destroyed
by drunken vandals.
“With recent incidents
here on campus, many

Jewish students have been
frightened and feel as if
they have to hide their
Judaism,” said Ethan Price,
MSU sophomore and
StandWithUs Emerson
Fellow. The latest incidents
may be disturbing, but Price
added there is excellent
support for Jewish students
among their peers and at
places like Hillel.
As an Emerson Fellow, he
participates in educational
and leadership training
seminars with the pro-Israel
group to help offset anti-
Israel bias on campus.
“We hope to combat this
antisemitism by getting the
university involved and by
educating as many students
as we can about what
antisemitism looks like and
how we can all work to stop
it in its tracks.”

Cindy
Hughey