8 | AUGUST 29 • 2024 
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hen Nate Sherman, 17, 
heads off to school at the 
University of Michigan 
this fall, he’ll know more about 
what to expect as a Jewish student 
on campus, he says. The incoming 
freshman from Bloomfield Hills 
says he feels more prepared after 
taking part in a “Jewish Students 
on Campus” event for students and 
parents on building community and 
combating antisemitism. 
The Aug. 14 event, hosted at 
Temple Shir Shalom in West 
Bloomfield, drew about 80 
participants. They heard from 
a panel of students, as well as 
professionals from several Jewish 
organizations, about Jewish life on 
campus.
Hearing from students at the event 
was relatable, Sherman adds. “The 

students there gave me more of a 
window into being prepared for what 
I could see and making sure I won’t 
be put in a situation I’m not ready 
for or that I can’t handle,” he says. 
“While the adults are great, hearing 
from a student’s perspective is going 
to prepare you as much as you can be 
prepared for something like that.”
Knowing that reporting incidents 
to the university is important and 
about the Jewish resources on 
campus is sure to make a difference 
in his campus experience, says 
Sherman, whose parents met at a 
campus Hillel. 
“I thought the best part about it 
was ‘what you need to know’ and 
‘what to do if you see something 
somewhere,”’ Sherman says. “I 
believe that on a massive campus 
in Ann Arbor, it’s going to be really 

helpful to have the 
Jewish community.”
David Kurzmann, 
senior director, 
community affairs for 
Jewish Federation of 
Detroit, moderated 
the panel, where seven 
students representing 
four campuses shared what they 
faced and how coming together 
as a community empowered them 
post Oct. 7. Another handful 
of college students were in the 
audience, wearing school gear, to 
talk to students about life on specific 
campuses. The older students’ 
message, he says, was one of 
resilience and togetherness.
“I really think it was the students 
who were the stars,” Kurzmann says. 
“They empowered the other kids, 
who came away feeling good. We 
want them to feel strong, confident, 
safe and proud. Whether they 
become outspoken advocates or not, 
feeling safe in who you are as a Jew is 
what we want, and we want them to 
feel supported by their Metro Detroit 
community.” 
The event was 
sparked by Susan Feber 
of West Bloomfield, 
who connected with 
Kurzmann for what was 
quickly recognized as 
a valuable program to 
support the community. 
With her daughter applying to attend 

Elon University in North Carolina 
and a son entering junior year at 
Michigan State University this fall, 
Feber emailed every rabbi, Hillel on 
Campus and Chabad she knew of to 
brainstorm ideas and resources. 
“I thought, ‘How can I send my 
kids back to school with some skills, 
so when they get back to school they 
can thrive on campus, and what can 
we as a community do so they can 
thrive in the coming year?’” she says.
Federation and a slew of other area 
Jewish organizations and synagogues 
quickly got on board to back the 
event, which was aimed at helping 
college-bound kids prepare for the 
environments and situations they 
might face. 
“I really wanted the event to be for 
college students. I didn’t want my 
daughter walking onto campus with 
blinders on,” Feber says. 
Participating families also received 
a resource list with books to read, 
podcasts to listen to, Instagrams to 
follow and social media sites to check 
out. 
And this could be just the 
beginning for Jewish Detroit in terms 
of what Feber hopes the community 
will offer kids heading out into the 
broader world. 
“I don’t think we have been ahead 
of this in terms of teaching about 
antisemitism and how to address 
anti-Zionism, and now we’re catching 
up, and we’re catching up fast,” she 
says. “There are a lot of things going 

Campus 
Toolkits

Students learn what to 
expect — and how to 
react — as they head 
off to school.

Susan 
Feber 

David 
Kurzmann

KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY
Susan Feber 
speaks to 
participants.

David Kurzmann 
addresses the 
audience.

