38 | NOVEMBER 23 • 2023 

M

y Zionism and 
passion for Israel 
are deeply rooted 
within me and date back sev-
eral generations in my family. 
My great-great-grandfather, 
Joseph Wetsman, attended the 
Second Zionist Congress, where 
he and fellow Detroiter D.W
. 
Simons purchased the land on 
Mt. Scopus where Hadassah 
Hospital was later built. 
My great-grandmother, 
Fannie Wetsman Saulson, and 
great-great aunt, Sal Wetsman 
Davidson, later became Detroit 
chapter Hadassah presidents. 
Many of my other family mem-
bers were also significantly 
involved in the Zionist effort.
I am a Zionist for many rea-
sons. First, I believe the Jewish 
people deserve a homeland. 

As I learned the history and 
socio-political facts surrounding 
the State of Israel at both Hillel 
Day School and Frankel Jewish 
Academy, I came to believe 
that the Jewish people have a 
right to self-determination and 
autonomy in the land we have 
lived in for thousands of years. I 
also believe that, like any sover-
eign state, Israel has the right to 
defend itself against enemies.
I feel at home when I am in 
Israel. I feel a deep connection 
to my ancestors, who had the 
dream of this land, and to the 
people of Israel, who are my 
spiritual brothers and sisters. 
For the Jewish people, there is 
no place else like Israel.
When I woke up on Oct. 7, 
2023, endless messages from 
friends and family awaited me, 

asking if I heard the news. I 
could not believe what I was 
seeing on social media. Hamas 
had invaded Israel on multi-
ple tactical levels: bulldozing 
through the security barrier, 
infiltrating on motorcycles and 
paragliding into the country.
The terrorist organization 
broke highly protective border 
checkpoints that I had seen six 
weeks prior on a fact-finding 
mission and mounted a terrorist 
attack that, given its popula-
tion and scale, was more than 
15 times greater in scope than 
9/11. 
The attack was also the larg-
est number of Jews murdered in 
a single day since the Holocaust.
The nightmare that I saw 
unfolding through videos all 
day on Saturday was horrific. 

My heart sat in my stomach 
as I continued monitoring the 
events; it felt like watching a 
movie. How could this be real? 
Communities I had just visited 
in August, like Sderot and Kfar 
Aza, were overrun by Hamas. 
Horror ran rampant as these 
terrorists executed babies, raped 
women, murdered families, and 
kidnapped the elderly, women 
and children.

FALSE CLAIMS
Oct. 19, a mere 12 days after 
this attack, the Associated 
Students of Michigan State 
University (ASMSU) passed a 
resolution calling on Michigan 
State to “address the ongoing 
Palestinian crisis and support 
Palestinian students and all 
impacted students.
” 

 for college students by college students
Nov. 23, 2023 / 10 Kislev 5784

Laela Saulson } jewish@edu writer

The Battle for Representation: 
Navigating Controversial 
Bills and Bias on Campus

