22 | JUNE 13 • 2024
OUR COMMUNITY
disrupt operations, damage
or remove property or other
impermissible conduct.”
In-person classes resumed at
6 a.m. on May 31. A statement
released that day said that
WSU’s Office of Multicultural
Engagement would offer
several listening sessions
throughout June where
students could voice their
concerns.
LETTER-WRITING
CAMPAIGN
Adar Rubin, Michigan director
of #EndJewHatred, attributed
the swift shutdown of the
encampment in part to a letter-
writing campaign
that sent 2,500
emails into Espy’s
inbox.
The letter
expressed
concerns
that the same
agitators who occupied the
encampment on the campus
of the University of Michigan
had migrated to the campus of
WSU. If the encampment were
to remain, it would serve as “a
central hub for Jew hatred” in
Michigan for the duration of
the summer.
According to the letter, the
encampment zone included
incidents of “blatant Jew-
hatred” including chants of
“from the river to the sea” and
featured anti-Zionist speakers
who, following the Oct. 7
massacre, refused to condemn
Hamas.
The letter also pointed out
that Congresswoman Rashida
Tlaib was a participant in
the encampment. As an
elected official, her push for
divestment demands on WSU
may violate Michigan’s anti-
boycott, divest and sanctions
laws, the letter stated.
On the morning of the
encampment breakdown,
Tlaib was filmed on Instagram
locking arms with protesters
to block the approach of WSU
Police cars.
Rubin said despite the
challenges it may face in the
fall, WSU administrators sent
a very clear message to the
protesters that it would protect
all students by dismantling the
encampment.
“Wayne State set a positive
precedent in terms of how to
navigate and handle escalations
of Jew-hatred,” Rubin said. “It
comes at a time where most
[Jewish] activists do not trust
university administrations,
as evidenced by documented
failures to address antisemitism
on campuses across the
country. Wayne State is an
incredibly prestigious school
with so much Jewish history,
so we are grateful for President
Espy’s actions.”
MOBILIZING EFFORTS
#EndJewHatred mobilized
efforts with several WSU
Jewish student organizations,
including the newly revital-
ized Jewish Student Law
Association (JSLA).
Cole Levine is
an active leader
in the JSLA but
spoke to the JN on
his own behalf.
When Levine
began law school
at WSU in the fall
of 2023, there was little Jewish
life compared to the resources
he had as an undergraduate
at Michigan State University.
This did not sit well with
him, considering there is a
large representation of anti-
Israel law students who hold
leadership positions within the
law school’s Student Board of
Governors.
“They are, across the
board, all anti-Israel,” Levine
said. “I don’t want to say
pro-Palestinian because they
are anti-Israel more than
anything.”
Levine, with other Jewish
students and the help of a
supportive faculty, helped
revive the organization.
Outside of confronting
antisemitism on campus,
graduate students like Levine
want to demonstrate to
current and prospective Jewish
undergraduate and graduate
students that there are Jewish
connections at WSU.
“I saw the encampment
unfold,” Levine said. “I saw
[how it started] on one
corner of campus. And then
[agitators] grabbed barriers
around campus to create their
encampment. They are not all
students. But with such a large
local anti-Israel demographic
in Michigan, it is not hard for
them to find support.”
For example, Levine said
after the encampment was
disbanded, the law school
Student Board of Governors
and the WSU Student
Senate put out a statement
in solidarity with students
demanding public access to
the university’s investment
portfolio and a cessation of
investment in companies that
profit from supplying military
supplies to Israel. The student
board also claimed that WSU
used excessive force and that
all charges should be dropped.
“Not only are they trying to
get charges dropped, there is
also now a movement to get
Espy fired or to step down.”
Levine echoed Rubin’s
statement and remarked
just how receptive the
administration has been to
Jewish students and faculty on
campus.
“I know that down the line,
there is going to be anti-Israel
rhetoric on campus, and that
cannot be controlled,” Levine
admitted. “But the school
administrators have been a
pleasure to work with and
are making sure that Jewish
campus life will continue to
exist.”
CONCERNS ABOUT
THE FALL SEMESTER
The JN spoke with Hillel of
Metro Detroit Director Miriam
Starkman on May
30.
“It is a scary
time to be a Jewish
university student,”
Starkman said.
“This encampment
was another
example of the antisemitism
that has permeated the protest
culture. The sign saying,
‘Zionists are not welcome in
Detroit’ showed how exclusive
and hateful this movement is.”
Starkman said Hillel is
grateful for President Espy and
the WSU leadership, including
WSU Police Chief Anthony
Holt, for taking swift action.
“Holt and his team keep
our campus community safe,
and we are lucky to have him,”
Starkman said. “President Espy
handled the situation with
absolute thoughtfulness. She
listened to many leaders in
the Jewish community, from
Hillel and Chabad to Steven
Ingber at Federation and other
Federation leaders and security
officials.”
Though Starkman is relieved
that the encampment has come
down for now, she still has
trepidations about the fall.
“I am concerned about what
the fall will bring,” Starkman
said. “I hope the university
will continue to take a strong
approach to making sure all
students feel safe and secure on
campus and that everyone will
have an opportunity to learn
and not be subject to such
hostilities.”
Miriam
Starkman
Adar Rubin
Cole Levine
continued from page 20