44 | NOVEMBER 17 • 2022

S

tudent groups on American cam-
puses can have an underestimated
influence on social change.
During times like these, where main-
stream celebrities feel free to spread their
shocking views of the Jewish religion
and Israel; where politicians are publicly
criticizing American Jewish communities
and Israel’s policy in a way that aligns
with their own interest; and where lead-
ing colleges around the nation are taking
steps to develop “Jewish Free Zones,” we
must take action.
I was lucky enough to take advantage
of the Birthright trip during my sopho-
more year of college. On the plane ride
back home, I realized that I wanted and
needed to get more actively involved
and connected with the State of Israel.
That’s when I chose to learn more about
the Wayne State Hillel. I was given the

chance to become an Applebaum intern
and connect Jewish and pro-Israel stu-
dents to the Hillel of Metro Detroit and
the Wayne State community. Through
this internship, I was connected to the
Students for Israel (SFI) student group
and knew I had to get involved.
I started to attend SFI events and was
even a part of a select group of students
to represent Wayne State at the Israeli
American Council National Summit
in Florida. During the summit, I got to
develop relationships with different seg-
ments of Israeli society and hear from
a range of highly regarded speakers on
topics such as defense, cybersecurity,
artificial intelligence and agricultural
technology, which Israeli society is work-
ing to enhance.
The knowledge I have gained through-
out my experiences has enabled me to
assume the role of president for Students
for Israel. Our group hosts political and
cultural events to broaden the Wayne
State community’s familiarity with the
State of Israel and its astonishing achieve-
ments around the world.

Being a pro-Israel student at Wayne
State University presents its own set of
challenges. Not many students see Israel
as a place of pro-West, pro-freedom and
pro-democracy. Numerous influential
student groups on our campus work
actively to undermine the image of Israel
among the student population on campus
through the spread of false information.
Our SFI group meets on a weekly basis
to discuss the current anti-Israel trends
and actions being taken on campus and
discuss ways to combat them. To further
our mission, our group recently held a
leadership retreat that focused on target-
ing and training the next pro-Israel
leaders on campus.
To spread our message to the great-
er campus community, we hosted a
public event in an area with the largest
foot-traffic on campus, highlighting
Israel’s accomplishments in the fields of
technology and medicine innovation.
We are currently working on a trip to
Israel geared toward non-Jewish Wayne
State student leaders, to educate them
further about the Israeli-Palestinian con-
flict and to combat the biases and the
spread of misinformation.
Overall, this has been a very meaning-
ful journey in my college career. I started
out as being indifferent about the way
people think and speak about Israel to
now leading a group of pro-Israel stu-
dents at Wayne State to effectively stand
up for what they believe in.
We look forward to continuing to
make Wayne State a safe, comfortable
and inviting college campus to Jewish
and pro-Israel students. @

Jeremy Soper, a senior at Wayne State, is the
SFI president and StandWithUs Emerson Fellow at
Hillel of Metro Detroit.

for college students by college students
for college students by college students
Nov. 17, 2022 / 23 Cheshvan 5783

Jeremy Soper } jewish@edu writer

Students for Israel hosted a public event
on Wayne State’s campus that highlighted
Israel’s accomplishments in technology and
medicine.

COURTESY OF HILLEL OF METRO DETROIT

Wayne State student
group enhances Israel’s
reputation on campus.

Standing Up
for Israel
ACADEMIC
EXCELLENCE
IN THE HEART
OF DETROIT

How does Wayne State University earn the right to claim academic excellence?
With degree programs driven by the demands of the real world, taught by
faculty who are leaders in their fields, and students who are career ready —
because for 154 years, that’s been central to our curriculum.

Academic excellence isn’t a goal at Wayne State: It’s a tradition.

And just one more part of being Warrior Strong.