I

n my four years on the 
program staff of Hillel of 
Metro Detroit (HMD), 
I have seen and heard about 
an increase of antisemitic 
incidents 
on our six 
campuses. This 
is consistent 
with university 
communities 
across the 
country. 
Although 
antisemitism is a hard 
topic to approach, Hillel 
of Metro Detroit is 
fortunate to work with 
faculty and administration 
who are understanding, 
compassionate and listen 
to the needs of our campus 
communities. 
An example took place 
this past spring when an 
email with an article that 
mentioned the intifada was 
sent out by the Office of 

Diversity and Inclusion at the 
University of Detroit Mercy 
School of Dentistry. While 
the email was intended to 
acknowledge Arab American 
Heritage Month, it missed 
the mark of inclusion when 
it clearly delegitimized other 
minority groups. 
The email was reported 
to HMD and the Jewish 
Community Relations 
Council (JCRC/AJC) by a 
student who was upset and 
uncomfortable with the 
distribution of this article. 
The student felt like he 
couldn’t tackle this incident 
on his own and was nervous 
to speak up because many 
of his teachers were of Arab 
descent. HMD values the 
relationships we have with 
our students, and we were 
able to take action and 
advocate on his behalf. 
Working in partnership 
with the professionals at 

for college students 
by college students

Fighting 
Antisemitism

Incident at University of Detroit Mercy 
leads to learning for those involved.

Olivia Berlin

University of 
Detroit Mercy 
Dental School

42 | AUGUST 18 • 2022 

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