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

