12 | SEPTEMBER 1 • 2022 

OUR COMMUNITY

making something happen at 
Michigan State that was edu-
cational, not just for Jews but 
for non-Jews as well, about the 
Jewish people, heritage, about 
Israel,
” says Serling, who was 
also involved in efforts to rein-
vigorate the Hillel at MSU.
“In those days, if a kid 
didn’t get into University of 
Michigan, they often would 
shun Michigan State and head 
for a more friendly Jewish cam-
pus like Indiana or Wisconsin, 
and we wanted to reverse that 
trend,
” he says.
“We’ve done that in a big way 
because Jewish kids really thrive 
at Michigan State.
”

Since its inception, the Serling 
Institute has hosted 28 visiting 
Israeli scholars and had 325 stu-
dents minor in Jewish Studies 
over the past 30 years, with a 
record 56 minors in 2021-2022. 
Some 12,800 students have 
taken Jewish Studies courses 
since they began, with a record 
926 participating in 2021-2022.
In addition, the Institute 
sponsors educational events, 
including lectures, book talks, 
an annual Israeli Film festival 
and lectures, and films about 
the Holocaust. The Serling 
Institute has sent more than 300 
MSU students to Israel on facul-
ty-led study abroad programs.

A JEWISH HUB
Dr. Yael Aronoff, the Michael 
and Elaine Serling and Friends 
Endowed Chair in Israel 
Studies, came to MSU in August 
2006 and has been directing the 
Jewish Studies program since 
August 2014.

“We started just teaching 
some Hebrew. We didn’t have 
our own faculty; this didn’t 
exist at MSU before,
” she says. 
“Today, we are very interdisci-
plinary. We have faculty from 10 
different colleges across campus. 

We tackle timely issues in an 
interdisciplinary way and with a 
Jewish Studies lens.
” 
Aronoff says having a Jewish 
Studies program to educate 
students has become even more 
important with antisemitism on 
the rise. In addition to all of its 
other offerings, the Institute has 
taken part in six annual forums 
where students share experienc-
es of antisemitism, conducted 
training sessions for over 600 
residential advisers and inter-
cultural aides, and presented 
workshops on antisemitism 
across the university. 
Since 2018, the Institute has 
expanded its scope, feeding into 
MSU’s strategic impact goals 
while also continuing to focus 
on the humanities and social 
sciences. More recent develop-
ments include developing tight-
er ties with other universities 
in Israel through research, col-
laboration, visiting scholars and 
study abroad programs. 
“We think MSU is a fantastic 
place for Jewish Studies and 
Israel Studies,
” Aronoff explains. 

Ellie Baden, a Jewish Studies 
minor, participated in MSU’s 
faculty-led study abroad 
program in Jerusalem. She 
has also interned with the 
Institute, where she attended 
faculty meetings, planned social 
events and meet-and-greets 
for Jewish students and profes-
sors, and helped write a Guide 
on Antisemitism for the MSU 
Community 2022. 

Baden says she enjoys being 
part of an established program 
with supportive faculty and pro-
gramming that reaches into the 
community. Whether attend-
ing classes or social events, it’s 
always nice to see familiar faces. 
“There really is a sense of 
community,
” she adds.
She’ll be attending the Sept. 
11 event to help celebrate the 
Serling Institute, which she says 
has transformed her time at 
college. “It has played such an 
important role in my experi-
ence, and I can’t wait to share 
that with everyone else in atten-
dance and see people just appre-
ciating the program.
” 

A RICH HISTORY
Dr. Amy Simon, a professor 
of Holocaust Studies and 
European Jewish History 
who started at MSU’s Serling 
Institute in the fall of 2016, says 
they’ve doubled their number 
of Jewish Studies minors in the 
last handful of years, and added 
more programming around 
antisemitism, with additional 
programs when an event in the 
country calls for it. 

“We really see supporting 
our Jewish students in those 
moments as a big part of our 
job,
” she says, adding that the 
Serling Institute provides a 
home for Jewish students in 
an otherwise big place. “Jewish 
Studies is a relatively small place 
with friendly, approachable 
faculty.
” 

Simon adds that she hopes 
the programs give all students a 
deeper understanding of Jewish 
history. “For me, as a Jewish 
person, it is very rewarding for 
me to teach people who maybe 
never even thought about Jews, 
maybe never even met Jews, 

ON THE COVER

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continued on page 14

Students received the Serling Institute Student Achievement Awards with professors who nominated 
them at the 6th annual Serling Institute Undergraduate Research Conference where students presented 
research papers they had completed for Jewish Studies courses. Pictured are Dr. Laura Yares, student 
Leah Welch, Dr. Kirsten Fermaglich, student Troy Distelroth, Dr. Amy Simon, student Sami Chaben and 
Dr. Yael Aronoff.

