8 | AUGUST 29 • 2024
J
N
W
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.