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.

