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DECEMBER 14 • 2023 | 17
with a troubling environment
on campus.
At MSU, Students United
for Palestinian Rights (SUPR)
worked with other organi-
zations to bring forward an
“anti-Israel bill riddled with
factual inaccuracies, anti-Israel
rhetoric and antisemitic under-
tones,
” said Robyn Hughey,
MSU Hillel’s executive director.
Despite MSU Jewish stu-
dent leaders’ strongest efforts
over the course of a nine-hour
Student Senate meeting, which
Hughey says included upset-
ting public comments, the bill
passed. No matter the outcome,
Hughey was moved by the stu-
dents’ bravery and grace under
pressure.
“I really cannot emphasize
enough how proud I am of
them. Speaking up and sharing
their perspective took courage,
determination and an immense
amount of strength,
” she said.
A major issue MSU junior
Matthew Zivian sees at MSU
and other universities is a “stu-
dent government that enables
hate speech” with an “inability
to stop antisemitic resolutions.
”
“Our student government is
just simply no longer a space in
which Jewish students should
feel comfortable,
” Zivian said.
The Jewish community
at MSU has been met with
several other challenges since
Oct. 7. Hughey says students
were exposed to anti-Israel and
antisemitic messages painted
on The Rock, which is similar
to WSU’s Spirit Rock. SUPR
have used this spot to spread
their messaging far and wide,
Hughey noted, painting the
rock four times.
The day after the Student
Senate bill passed, an inci-
dent took place at a Michigan
State football game at Spartan
Stadium where an image of
Adolf Hitler was displayed on
the Jumbotron during a trivia
quiz. Numerous statements
and apologies regarding the
incident have been released by
the university, of which they
said the content came from a
“third-party source” and wasn’t
representative of the universi-
ty’s values.
The following morning,
Interim MSU President Teresa
Woodruff joined Hughey and
members of the MSU Jewish
community for brunch to
address student’s concerns and
fears.
ADL STUDY
A new study released on Nov.
29 from the ADL and Hillel
International found 73% of
Jewish college students have
experienced or witnessed
antisemitism since the start of
the 2023-2024 school year.
The national survey of
American college students
found that prior to Oct. 7, 67%
of Jewish students said they felt
physically safe on campus; after
Oct. 7, only 46% did. Prior to
Oct. 7, 66% of Jewish students
felt emotionally safe; after, only
33% felt emotionally safe.
Prior to Oct. 7, 64% of Jewish
students viewed their university
as welcoming and supportive
of Jewish students; after Oct.
7, only 44% of Jewish students
believed this. Before Oct. 7,
64% of Jewish students felt
comfortable with others know-
ing they’re Jewish; after Oct.
7, only 39% felt the same.
ADL Michigan region-
al director Carolyn
Normandin says they’ve
received astronomical num-
bers of antisemitic incident
reports during this time.
Prior to Oct. 7,
Normandin said ADL
Michigan would receive
reports of two to three
antisemitic incidents per
RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM:
An image of Adolf Hitler was
displayed on the Jumbotron
at a Michigan State football
game at Spartan Stadium. The
Rock on MSU’s campus was
spray painted with messages
including “ Free Palestine”
and “Israel has killed 1,000
children.’”