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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.’”