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