10 | DECEMBER 19 • 2024 

attacked in this way, and it is because I 
am Jewish.
” 

REACTION TO THE VANDALISM
Public officials from Michigan 
Attorney General Dana Nessel, State 
Senate President Jeremy Moss to U.S. 
Rep. Haley Stevens and U.S. Rep. Shri 
Thanedar released statements decrying 
the vandalism. 
On Monday, the University of 
Michigan Department of Public Affairs 
described it as a “clear act of antisemit-
ic intimidation.
” 
The statement read: “U-M 
condemns these criminal acts in the 
strongest possible terms. They are 
abhorrent and, unfortunately, just the 
latest … incidents where individuals 
have been harassed because of their 
work on behalf of the university. This is 
unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
” 
U-M’s Senate Advisory Committee 
on University Affairs (SACUA) issued 
a statement later in the week, when 
pressed, expressing concern for the 
Acker family:
 “We are deeply troubled by the 
attack on Regent Acker’s home … The 
spray-painted message suggests that 
the assailants feel justified in an act of 
political violence against an elected 
representative because the Board of 
Regents has denied requests to divest 
from companies implicated in the 
production of weapons used against 
Palestinians. We reject this reasoning. 
Violence begets violence. Treating 

any human as a virtuous sacrifice to 
greater goals is still a crime. It is cruel 
and inhumane, and involving children 
makes it particularly upsetting … 
Protest is a legitimate tool to voice 
dissent, but violence is not.
” 
The Jewish Federation of Detroit 
also put out a statement in support 
of the Acker family and called the act 
“abhorrent and unacceptable.
” 
It read: “Vandalizing the home of a 
public servant is a cowardly attempt 
to intimidate, divide and sow fear. We 
are working closely with the Michigan 
Attorney General’s office, the FBI 
and local law enforcement to hold 
accountable those who perpetrated 
these hateful acts.
” 
Adar Rubin, director of mobilization 

for the grassroots 
organization #EndJewHatred, 
which provides Jewish students 
with resources on how to counter 
antisemitism, said his organization 
offers its full support to the Acker 
family and is deeply disturbed by the 
attack and viewed it as an “escalation 
tactic by Jew-hating culprits.
” 
“The repetitive cycle of targeted 
attacks against Acker must end,
” Rubin 
said. “They specifically singled him out 
because he is Jewish and has been an 
ardent supporter of the rights of Jewish 
students on campus to be free of 
discrimination and intimidation. The 
Regents at the University of Michigan 
have taken proactive measures on the 
hostile climate and to protect students 
across campus, and we will continue 
to empower them to do more, such 
as taking on the weaponization of 
anonymity in the commission of a 
crime.
” 

ATMOSPHERE AT U-M
Although students and parents were 
disturbed by the incident, some parents 
said, overall, the temperature of the 
campus climate has come down com-
pared to last year. Steps are also falling 
into place to crack down on student 
organizations that are spewing hateful 
anti-Jewish and anti-Israel rhetoric. 
For example, on Nov. 1, Students 
Allied for Freedom and Equality 
(SAFE), the University’s chapter of 

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), 
received a formal complaint submitted 
by the university’s Title IX consultant 
through the Student Organization 
Advancement and Recognition 
Accountability Process. The university 
could suspend the student organization 
for up to four years. 
“This is a horrible incident that 
happened to Regent Acker and 
his family,
” said parent Jan Moss 
of Chicago. “But overall, what we 
are seeing is that the university 
administration is moving in the right 
direction. And our Jewish students, 
including my student, are happy and 
participating fully in life on campus.
” 
Ultimately, Acker said this is the 
work of a small but devious group of 
people who are trying to keep Jews out 
of public service. 
“Imagine if this happened several 
decades ago, and it could have 
prevented Carl Levin from taking 
office as one of our state’s great 
senators,
” Acker said. 
“Their goal is to harm and eliminate 
Jews from public life. In that context, 
these kinds of attacks are enormously 
successful because there’s a Jewish 
person right now who is thinking of 
running for office or thinking about 
opening up a business. They are seeing 
what happened to me and are giving it 
all a second thought. And that’s a huge 
loss for the whole community.
” 

LEFT AND RIGHT: The vandals threw jars 
of urine through the Ackers’ window.

In June, Acker’s 
office was 
defaced with 
antisemitic 
words.

continued from page 8
OUR COMMUNITY

