One of the most well-known universities in the country is experiencing some of the worst antisemitism.
No, it’s not Columbia University. It’s the University of Michigan.
Earlier in the week, the homes of University of Michigan President Santa Ono and Chief Investment Officer Erik Lundberg were vandalized a group calling itself “Unity of Fields,” marking the one-year anniversary of what the group described as genocide against the Palestinian people. The group, which identifies as an “[a]nti-imperialist propaganda front,” claimed responsibility in a statement for the acts of vandalism, targeting both university leaders and institutions they view as supporting Israel.
Campus Reform reported that the university “has been the site of several attacks against Jewish members of the community.
On Wednesday, during the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, an armed gunman burst into a room with a Jewish rabbi and 20 Jewish students from UMich and briefly held them at gunpoint before stealing a bag and making his escape.
On Sept. 15, a group assaulted a Jewish student not far from UMich, first asking him if ‘he was Jewish’ and then brutally attacking him when he answered ‘yes.’ Shortly afterward, two other Jewish students were similarly assaulted. UMich President Santa Ono said at the time: “The fact that these two incidents followed another disturbing incident last week has set many of us on edge.”
On Dec. 5, Ono announced he had blocked a student government resolution that would have condemned Israel’s counteroffensive against the terrorist group Hamas as a ‘genocide.’”
University President Santa Ono condemned the vandalism and other recent attacks, stating, “The fact that these incidents have occurred in close succession is deeply concerning.”
The one-year anniversary of Hamas’s attack, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 Israelis, has prompted several anti-Israel demonstrations. Notably, the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at the University of Maryland announced a vigil to condemn Israel’s actions on October 7, despite initial attempts by the university to cancel the event. SJP has also announced plans for a “Week of Rage” in observance of the anniversary.
A University of Michigan spokesperson confirmed the vandalism at Ono’s residence and stated that the incidents are under investigation.
Michigan has become a hotspot in the presidential election. Over 100,000 Democrats, angry that Joe Biden would dare support America’s biggest ally in the Middle East, have vowed to undermine Kamala Harris in the important swing state. In one of her early campaign visits after pushing Joe Biden out of the race, Kamala Harris lost her cool on stage when she was protested by pro-Palestine activists in metropolitan Detroit.
