14 | OCTOBER 10 • 2024 J
N
T
he Jewish community at the University
of Michigan ushered in the last Shabbat
before Rosh Hashanah with a solidarity
rally for Israel on the Diag with special guests.
Countering the negative perceptions that have
plagued their campus when it comes to Jewish
life there, Jewish student leaders said this year is a
time to proudly show off Jewish joy, to be resilient
and not be afraid.
Jewish campus student and professional leaders
introduced two sibling survivors who endured
captivity in Gaza for 55 days and the mother of a
fallen Israeli soldier.
“Together We Rise” was hastily organized by
the Jewish Resource Center of the University of
Michigan to coincide not only with parents’ week-
end but also to welcome and accommodate the
schedules of Israelis Maya Regev, 22, her brother
Itay Regev, 19, and their father, Ilan, who were
traveling in the United States. The Regevs delayed
their return to Israel by a day to speak in Ann
Arbor.
There were no counter-protests. Security around
the perimeter of the Diag was tight, and a police
helicopter circled overhead. According to the U-M
Department of Public Safety and Public Security,
about 900 people attended the rally.
MAYA’S STORY
Maya spoke about their ordeal as her brother and
father stood by her side. They had been in the
United States to attend the Emmy Awards because
they were featured in a nominated documentary
called Brother & Sister in Captivity. According to
the Jerusalem Post, the film detailed the siblings’
brutal treatment by Hamas, which held them
captive until their release in a hostage deal in late
November. Both were shot by the terrorists and
operated on without anesthesia. Maya has only
recently regained the ability to walk following
months of intensive physical therapy.
Before Maya spoke, the crowd watched a clip
from the documentary on two large video screens
that featured Maya screaming to her father in a
frantic phone call from the Nova festival that she
‘Together We
STORY AND PHOTOS BY STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY