26 | AUGUST 15 • 2024

MSU Jewish Studies and Muslim
Studies team up to have difficult
discussion and diffuse tensions.

KAREN SCHWARTZ
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

Conversations on


Antisemitism

and

Islamophobia

R

ecent Michigan State
University grad Sydnie
Burnstein of West
Bloomfield took part in MSU’s
four-part series, Conversations
on Antisemitism
and Islamophobia,
in fall 2023, just
days after the Oct. 7
attacks.
The series had
existed before
Oct. 7, but took a
different tone right after the
attacks, she says.
“Coming into that room,
everyone was very tense and
very afraid for their security
because these are really difficult
discussions and conversations,
and you never know who’s
going to show up; but all went
well for the most part on that
Oct. 11 and continuing into the
last two sessions,” she says.
The kind of collaboration
that exists to produce and
execute the Conversations series
between Muslim and Jewish
Studies on campus is rare in her
experience, Burnstein says; but
it also stood to really benefit
students, especially as other
departments sought unity and
to host events following Oct. 7.
“We already had this pre-
existing relationship,” she says.
“There were definitely tough
moments and tension but there
was a lot of space for students
to express their feelings and
emotions and share what their
experiences are.”
After Oct. 7, she explains
by way of example, Jewish and
Muslim students shared the
difficulties they had sleeping or
keeping their grades up.
“Coming to an understanding
that I’m in a similar scenario,
facing the same emotions
would not have been possible
without this kind of dialogue,”
Burnstein says. “There’s a lot of
‘othering’ happening, and this
conversation series really opens

Sydnie
Burnstein