AUGUST 15 • 2024 | 27

your eyes to the experiences of all. 
I found it to be a safe place to be 
openly Jewish and proud of my 
Judaism.” 
It was also a safe space for 
those who weren’t Jewish or 
Muslim to ask questions and try 
to better understand others’ lived 
experience, she says, adding that 
they had quickly filled the seminar 
room where the class was held 
the first day to the brim. “It was 
packed,” she says. “There’s such a 
need to understand another group, 
and people really responded to the 
idea positively.”
The discussion series started 
in 2017, says Amy 
Simon, an associate 
professor and William 
and Audrey Farber 
Endowed Chair of 
Holocaust Studies 
and European Jewish 
History, adding that 
they’ve teamed up with other 
minoritized groups across campus 

to hold general talks about racism 
as well. 
“We care really very much that 
the more you know, the better 
you’ll be able to assess things that 
are going on around you, and that’s 
the core of who we are and why we 
do all this work,” Simon says. 
Over the years, she has taught 
the class through Kanye West’s 
antisemitic remarks and Dave 
Chappel’s controversial SNL 
monologue, and through attacks 
on Jews and on synagogues, she 
says, adding that they’ve also had 
to reassess the conversation along 
the way. “We’ve been doing all this 
work and pushing for more and 
more education, and here we are in 
this moment.” 

JEWISH STUDIES AT MSU 
Yael Aronoff, director of the Jewish 
Studies program since August 
2014, and Dr. Mohammad Khalil, 
director of the Muslim Studies 
program, partnered to apply 

for an MSU grant 
in 2019 to fund our 
faculty to work on 
an MSU Dialogues, 
which is focused on 
antisemitism and 
Islamophobia. 
 This successful 
program transformed into the 
Conversations on Antisemitism 
and Islamophobia in spring 2023, 
thanks to the efforts of Aronoff, 
Professor Kirsten Fermaglich, 
Khalil, assistant Ariana Mentzel, 
and Simon, and support from 
staff in the office for Institutional 
Diversity and Inclusion.
 “Dr. Khalil and I respect and 
like each other and have been 
collaborating for many years,” 
Aronoff says. “When participants in 
the Conversations on Antisemitism 
and Islamophobia see the director 
of Muslim Studies and the director 
of the Serling Institute for Jewish 
Studies and Modern Israel, as 
well as their faculty, collaborating 

together and modeling respectful 
dialogue, it provides a supportive 
atmosphere for all. 
 “Especially after Oct. 7, it was a 
very constructive and needed space 
for people to come together. We 
hope we can serve as a model for 
other universities,” she adds.
 The Serling Institute has also 
developed a guide on antisemitism 
for the MSU community and 
collaborated with others to 
establish a more robust religious 
observance policy at MSU. 
 “We appreciate the support from 
staff in the Office of Institutional 
Diversity and Inclusion, and 
by Dr. Jabar Bennett, for the 
Conversations on Antisemitism 
and Islamophobia,” Aronoff says. 
“In addition to the existing online 
training for students and employees 
that includes antisemitism 
and Islamophobia, we hope to 
eventually reach all of the MSU 
community through required 
in-person training on antisemitism 

continued on page 28

Amy Simon

At a workshop on antisemitism and Islamophobia: Rev. Neal Anderson, 
Morgan Shipley, Yael Aronoff, Amy Simon, Mady Sissoko, Mohammad 
Khalil and Ellie Baden

Yael 
Aronoff

